Reacción a "Birds sing longer in areas with light pollution"

Compared to other types of pollution, such as noise or chemical pollution, light pollution is particularly harmful to animals because it disrupts their biological rhythms. Almost a quarter of the Earth's surface is affected by this type of pollution; however, scientific studies on its effects on wildlife are relatively recent. Pease and Gilbert present a very rigorous study that represents a significant advance in understanding how excess artificial light at night affects the vocal behaviour of birds globally. The use of emerging technologies such as acoustic sensors and machine learning algorithms, combined with the collaboration of volunteers in gathering information, has made it possible to collect an unprecedented volume of data, around 60 million detections of 583 species of diurnal birds in more than 7,800 locations worldwide.

Analysis of this robust database has shown that this type of pollution prolongs bird song by almost an hour on average, especially at night. Furthermore, the effect is more pronounced in species with larger eyes, more open nests or migratory habits, as well as during the breeding season. These are undoubtedly striking and novel findings, but they also leave many questions unanswered, such as what positive, negative or neutral consequences these changes have on the ability of species to survive and reproduce in their respective environments.