Songbirds reclaim favored frequencies When severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic lockdowns were instituted across entire countries, human activities ceased in an unprecedented way. Derryberry et al. found that the reduction in traffic sound in the San Francisco Bay Area of California to levels not seen for half a century led to a shift in song frequency in white-crowned sparrows (see the Perspective by Halfwerk). This shift was especially notable because the frequency of human-produced traffic noise occurs within a range that interferes with the highest performance and most effective song. Thus, our “quiet” allowed the birds to quickly fill the most effective song space. Science, this issue p. 575; see also p. 523 Reductions in noise pollution during the pandemic shutdown allowed for more effective song production in white-crowned sparrows. Actions taken to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have conspicuously reduced motor vehicle traffic, potentially alleviating auditory pressures on animals that rely on sound for survival and reproduction. Here, by comparing soundscapes and songs across the San Francisco Bay Area before and during the recent statewide shutdown, we evaluated whether a common songbird responsively exploited newly emptied acoustic space. We show that noise levels in urban areas were substantially lower during the shutdown, characteristic of traffic in the mid-1950s. We also show that birds responded by producing higher performance songs at lower amplitudes, effectively maximizing communication distance and salience. These findings illustrate that behavioral traits can change rapidly in response to newly favorable conditions, indicating an inherent resilience to long-standing anthropogenic pressures such as noise pollution.

中文翻译：

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在寂静的春天歌唱：在 COVID-19 关闭期间，鸟类对半个世纪的音景回归做出反应

鸣禽重新获得青睐的频率 当严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 大流行封锁在整个国家/地区实施时，人类活动以前所未有的方式停止。德里贝里等人。发现加利福尼亚州旧金山湾区的交通噪音降低到半个世纪以来未见的水平导致白冠麻雀的歌曲频率发生变化（参见 Halfwerk 的观点）。这种转变尤其值得注意，因为人为产生的交通噪音的频率发生在干扰最高性能和最有效歌曲的范围内。因此，我们的“安静”让鸟儿快速填满最有效的歌曲空间。科学，这个问题 p。575; 另见第 523 大流行关闭期间噪音污染的减少使白冠麻雀的歌曲制作更有效。为控制 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行而采取的行动显着减少了机动车交通，可能减轻了依赖声音生存和繁殖的动物的听觉压力。在这里，通过比较最近全州关闭之前和期间旧金山湾区的音景和歌曲，我们评估了一只普通的鸣禽是否响应性地利用了新清空的声学空间。我们表明，城市地区的噪音水平在停工期间大幅降低，这是 1950 年代中期交通的特征。我们还表明鸟类通过在较低振幅下产生更高性能的歌曲来做出反应，有效地最大化通信距离和显着性。这些发现表明，行为特征可以响应新的有利条件而迅速改变，表明对长期存在的人为压力（如噪音污染）的内在弹性。