Do Wild Great Tits Avoid Exposure to Light at Night?
Maaike de Jong1, Jenny Q Ouyang1,2, Roy H A van Grunsven3,4
1Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Plos One
|June 30, 2016
Summary
Wild birds may avoid artificial light at night by selecting roosting sites. This suggests previously observed effects of light pollution on bird behavior could be indirect, impacting food availability rather than direct light exposure.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Artificial light at night (ALAN) impacts wild populations, but exposure levels are often unknown.
- Individuals may mitigate ALAN by seeking darker microhabitats, complicating direct effect attribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- Quantify nocturnal light exposure in wild birds (Great Tits) under experimental street lighting.
- Investigate if birds actively avoid illuminated areas in a forest-edge habitat.
Main Methods:
- Deployed light loggers on male Great Tits (Parus major) over two breeding seasons.
- Measured light intensity every five minutes over 24-hour periods.
- Compared exposure in experimentally lit areas (green, red light) versus a dark control.
Main Results:
- Males near green and red lamps did not show higher light exposure than those further away.
- Limited sample suggests males may select roosting sites with reduced light intensity.
- This indicates potential avoidance of direct ALAN exposure.
Conclusions:
- Wild birds, particularly in non-urban settings, might evade direct consequences of ALAN.
- Observed effects of ALAN on this species may be indirect, possibly related to altered food availability.
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