Relationship between traffic noise levels and song perch height in a common passerine bird

• Selectivity of avian song posts with respect to noise amplitude was analysed.
• Birds in noisy territories sang from perches located higher above the ground.
• Elevated song posts can improve male’s ability to hear rivals.

The man-made noise is one of the most serious problems that animals living in close contact with humans have to contend with, as it interferes with the transmission of information encoded in acoustic signals sent from emitter to receiver. Birds with their complex songs are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic noise. This research analyses the selectivity of song posts of the robin Erithacus rubecula with respect to a number of habitat parameters and the traffic noise amplitude. The results indicate that the birds take active steps to avoid interference to their vocal communication in the vicinity of busy roads. The males in noisy territories sang from perches located higher above the ground. This is the first report to demonstrate the correlation between song post height and traffic noise levels in a common passerine bird. Very likely, the choice of perches situated higher up in the vegetation improves the robins’ auditory perception of neighbouring rivals in an environment polluted by excessive noise levels. The differences in selectivity of song post location between areas with high and low intensities of noise may have serious consequences for the individuals concerned.