Study
Artificial night lighting rather than traffic noise affects the daily timing of dawn and dusk singing in common European songbirds
Da Silva, Arnaud; Samplonius, Jelmer M.; Schlicht, Emmi; Valcu, Mihai; Kempenaers, Bart
Behavioral Ecology, 2014
Automated recorders logged the onset of dawn singing and the end of dusk singing for several common songbird species across sites in and around a city, with artificial light and traffic noise measured independently so that their effects could be separated.
- Studied in
- Turdus merula, Erithacus rubecula, Parus major, Fringilla coelebs
- Sample size
- recording sites across a European city, spanning light and noise gradients
Artificial night lighting advanced dawn song onset and delayed dusk song in several species, while traffic noise had little effect on timing once light was accounted for. The size of the effect differed markedly between species.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Light pollution, rather than noise, is the principal driver of shifted singing times in urban songbirds.
How NatureHQ reads it
Useful because it separates two things that are almost always confounded — a bright street is usually also a loud one — and finds that they do different jobs. Noise affects what the song sounds like; light affects when it happens. It also makes a point that generalises: the species differences here are large, so "urban birds sing earlier" is a statement about some urban birds.
- Observational; light and noise were measured rather than manipulated.
- Sites in and around one city, and four common species that tolerate urban conditions well.
- Timing was measured; whether shifted timing has any consequence for the birds was not.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: University press journalsPublished in a university press journal.
Checked against Crossref and OpenAlex on 2026-09-28, and they agree on the title, the authors and the year.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-09-02.