Does traffic noise affect food delivery and nest attendance in great tit (Parus major)?

Worldwide, half of the bird species are declining, largely as a consequence of increased human activities. Roads and traffic are one such form of disturbance and can affect reproductive behaviour in birds. Increasing knowledge about how human activities affect bird behavior is essential to implement conservation actions. This Master’s thesis investigated if and how traffic noise affects parental care in Great Tits (Parus major) depending on the distance from a road. The study was conducted on 31 nest boxes located in the forests of Grünau im Almtal, Upper Austria. When chicks were 10–13 days old, I broadcast traffic noise near the nest for one hour and recorded (1) parental time spent at the nest, and (2) the number of parental food deliveries. I compared each of these behaviours to a one-hour control period without broadcast traffic noise. The treatment and control order was randomised at every nest to control for time-of-day effects. Parental behavior did not differ significantly between control and treatment periods, even after accounting for factors such as ambient noise and distance from a road. However, feeding rate increased with brood size. While this study shows and confirms the resilience and the adaptability of Great Tits to noisy environments, further studies are needed to investigate road mortality on fledglings. Moreover, it is recommended to work also on other species, considering possible interspecific differences in behavior.