BACKSTORY
In 2009, bird researcher Clint Francis found that natural gas well pads and compressors in Rattlesnake Canyon Wildlife Area in northern New Mexico were affecting the way birds nested. Thirty-two species chose to nest away from the constant hum of compressors, though 21 others nested near the noise. Some, like house finches, apparently used it as a cover to keep away predators that could not withstand the sounds. “Noise alone changes avian communities,” Francis said. “That’s definitive.” (“Sound Science,” HCN, 8/18/10)
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FOLLOWUP
Now, new noise-pollution research in Rattlesnake Canyon has found that, as researcher Rob Guralnick told the WashingtonPost, “acoustic degradation of the environment” has a clear physical impact on birds. The study, published in January, is the first to link noise pollution with stress hormone levels and survival rates for birds. Stress physiologist Christopher Lowry said that a bluebird nesting near a well pad “showed the same physiological symptoms as a human suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.”
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Latest: Long-term noise pollution gives birds PTSD.
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