Data from: Song playback increases songbird density near low to moderate use roads

Many songbird species avoid roads. Although acoustic masking, vehicle
collision, and edge effects are likely culprits, spatial avoidance also
occurs along low use roads and at locations distant from the pavement.
Neophobia may be one factor contributing to avoidance in these regions. In
this case, playback of bird song, generally a signal of high-quality
habitat, may reduce avoidance and increase territory establishment. We
investigated whether playback of song from 6 migratory species increased
territory establishment along low to moderate use roads in a community of
songbird species. We determined whether the intensity and regularity of
anthropogenic noise altered the pattern of response, and whether
particular life-history traits predicted which species were responsive to
playback. Territory density was significantly higher where song playback
was present. Species-specific responses were variable, with 11 species
increasing territory density by >30% at playback sites and 6
species decreasing in density. Noise level did not significantly impact
establishment. Foraging behavior, habitat, and song frequency predicted
which species were most responsive to playback. These results are similar
to a companion study conducted near forest edges that did not contain
roads, and suggests that song playback may be a viable method for
increasing songbird use of near road habitats. Although additional work is
needed to understand the variable responses of particular species and to
address vital issues, such as the reproductive success of lured birds,
this study highlights a behavioral management technique that may have
significant conservation implications along the vast worldwide network of
roads.

诸多鸣禽（songbird）会主动规避道路周边生境。尽管声学掩蔽（acoustic masking）、车辆碰撞（vehicle collision）与边缘效应（edge effects）被普遍认为是此类规避行为的主要诱因，但即便在低流量道路以及远离路面的区域，同样存在空间规避（spatial avoidance）现象。新异恐惧（neophobia）或许是此类区域鸣禽规避行为的成因之一。在此情境下，播放鸣禽鸣唱——这通常是优质栖息地的标志性信号——或可降低其规避行为，提升领地建立（territory establishment）成功率。

本研究针对鸣禽群落中的6个迁徙物种，调查其鸣唱回放是否能够提升中低流量道路沿线的领地建立成功率。我们同时分析了人为噪声（anthropogenic noise）的强度与节律是否会改变鸣禽的响应模式，以及特定的生活史特征（life-history traits）是否能够预测哪些物种会对鸣唱回放产生响应。

结果显示，设置鸣唱回放的区域，其领地密度显著更高。不同物种的响应存在显著差异：11个物种在回放区域的领地密度提升超过30%，另有6个物种的领地密度出现下降。人为噪声水平并未对领地建立产生显著影响。觅食行为、栖息地类型以及鸣唱频率可有效预测对鸣唱回放响应最强的物种类群。

本研究结果与一项在无道路林缘区域开展的配套研究结论相近，表明鸣唱回放或可成为提升鸣禽利用道路周边生境的可行手段。尽管后续仍需开展更多研究，以阐明不同物种的响应差异，并解决诸如被诱引鸟类的繁殖成功率（reproductive success）等关键问题，但本研究凸显了一项行为管理技术，其在全球庞大的道路网络沿线或可产生重要的保护价值。