Disturbance of wintering waterbirds by simulated road traffic noise in Arkansas wetlands

Abstract

AbstractAs humans intensify their activity on landscapes, it is important to consider anthropogenic noise when managing habitat for wildlife. Wetlands along rural to urban gradients are subject to road noise pollution, and the waterbirds that live there could be at risk for behavioral disturbance. We tested the positional response of wintering waterbirds to road traffic noise (i.e., sound pressure level) in a playback study in wetlands of Arkansas, USA, from January through March 2018. Each trial consisted of 3, 20‐minute phases of road noise playback designated as pre, during, and post. We repeated instantaneous scan sampling every minute during each phase to collect the number, species, and distance of each bird relative to the playback speaker. Distance bins were designated as 0–25, 26–50, 51–75, and 76–100 m from the speaker. Birds approached the speaker at closer distances during the pre phase compared to during and post phases. There was an increase in the probability of a bird occurring in the distance bin farthest from the speaker over the course of the trial. Our results suggest waterbirds might avoid noisier areas within a habitat; however, more study is needed to assess species‐specific responses, determine thresholds for disturbance, and examine downstream effects of habitat avoidance. If these results persist at larger scales, the soundscape of a wetland could be an important consideration in conservation planning.