Data from: Noise affects nest box choice of 2 competing songbird species, but not their reproduction

Anthropogenic noise levels are steadily increasing worldwide and may
potentially affect many species. Short-term experimental noise exposure
under field and lab conditions has revealed that noise can affect the
behavior and physiology of birds. However, few studies have been able to
link these short-term effects to longer-term consequences. Here, we report
on 2 long-term noise exposure field experiments to assess the direct and
indirect effects of noise on avian reproductive success. In one
experiment, we provided 2 types of nesting sites in our study area, a
nest-box with traffic noise broadcast inside, as well as a control
nest-box. We found great tits (Parus major) to avoid breeding in noisy
nest-boxes, in particular when they had both nest-box types available in
their territory. Interestingly, we found blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus)
to breed more often in the noisy nest-boxes compared with the control
nest-boxes. In another experiment, we randomly assigned nest-box
treatments to breeding great tits after settlement and started noise
exposure prior to egg laying or hatching. We found no significant effect
of noise treatment on clutch size, number of fledglings, or any other
life-history trait we measured. Our results show that great tits avoid
breeding in noisy locations. Birds that are however forced to breed in
noise, either through experimental manipulation or potentially through
competitive exclusion, do not suffer from reduced reproductive success.
Thus, anthropogenic noise can affect settlement behavior, but breeding
inside a noisy nest-box has no reproductive consequences, at least not for
great tits.