Warbling for Mates Becomes Cause to Shout

Certain birds have learned that pitching woo in a noisy city requires extra vocal dexterity, scientists reported in this week’s issue of Nature.

A study in the Netherlands found that the birds Parus major raise the pitch of their mating songs to out-shout the low rumble of urban noise. Their counterparts in the quiet countryside use lower tones. This suggests, the Dutch researchers said, that “human-altered environments might change the communication signals of a wild bird species.” And if one species’ songs are changeable, they added, maybe other birds adapt similarly, enhancing their ability to find mates in a confusing, noisy world.