Abstract
Natural environments are increasingly exposed to high levels of noise pollution. Noise pollution can alter the behavior of animals but we know little about its effects on antipredator behavior. We therefore investigated the impact of noise pollution on vigilance behavior and roost selection in an avian species, peafowl (Pavo cristatus), that inhabits urban environments. Captive peahens were exposed to noise pollution at night and their vigilance levels and roost selections were monitored. The vigilance levels of peahens were unaffected by exposure to noise pollution within trials. Furthermore, the peahens exhibited no preference for roosting farther or closer to noise pollution. Interestingly, predators often avoided the experimental area during nights with noise pollution, which could explain why vigilance rates were higher overall during control compared to noise trials. The results suggest that peahens’ perception of risk is not drastically impacted by noise pollution but longer-term studies will be necessary to assess any chronic effects.
Highlights
Noise pollution is increasingly prevalent in natural environments
We explored the effect of artificial noise pollution on vigilance levels and roost selection in captive peahens at the Purdue Wildlife Area in West Lafayette, IN, USA (40.450327◦N, −87.052574◦E)
There was a non-significant trend for head movement rate to be lower during nights with noise compared to nights without noise, especially during medium noise trials
Summary
Noise pollution is increasingly prevalent in natural environments. Over 85% of the contiguous United States is exposed to noise pollution (Mennitt et al, 2013). Noise pollution could impact fitness because of its effect within a variety of different contexts. It can affect the mating behavior of animals. Noise pollution can impact territorial behavior as well Many passerines adjust their songs, which function in both territory defense and mate attraction, to compensate for increased noise levels (Mockford & Marshall, 2009). They vocalize louder (Brumm , 2004), repeat songs
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