During the breeding season, bird vocalizations serve various functions crucial to reproductive success, such as territorial defense, attracting a mate, and maintaining social bonds. Anthropogenic noise pollution from urbanization and transportation can disrupt bird communication. Under high noise levels, birds might be unable to hear and respond to acoustic signals produced by their conspecific. This disruption can lead to decreased reproductive success and population declines in affected bird species. Noise-tolerant species might become more abundant, while noise-intolerant species might be displaced or decline in number. These changes in species distribution might lead to shifts in community dynamics, with potential cascading effects on ecosystem stability and biodiversity. It is essential to understand the acoustic characteristics that influence species tolerance to noise and the geographical distribution of birds in relation to anthropogenic noise to direct conservation efforts and mitigate the impacts of noise pollution on birds. 

This study analyzes the community composition and acoustic trait diversity to understand the impact of environmental variability and anthropogenic noise on bird communities in France.

The analysis combines information on bird vocalization diversity, species abundance and distribution, and spatial environmental quality descriptors. The acoustic traits that characterize each species and define its unique acoustic signature are extracted from recordings of bird vocalizations. Bird abundance and distribution data from a citizen-science project describe how bird communities are composed and diversified. Geographical descriptors identify how the quality and diversification of the environment vary through space. The different data sources are analyzed simultaneously using complementary statistical analyses (RLQ ordination, acoustic functional diversity, and community-weighted means). 

Overall, the results show that anthropogenic noise has negatively impacted bird communities. Bird communities in France vary in acoustic characteristics, which are less diverse in areas with the highest anthropogenic noise pollution. Effective conservation efforts to mitigate noise pollution's impacts on bird acoustic communities need to include urban planning strategies to reduce noise levels and promote habitat restoration.