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Birds in Light-Polluted Areas Stay up Late Into the Night

A global study analyzing over 180 million bird vocalizations reveals artificial light extends birds' singing time by 50 minutes, with larger-eyed species most affected, researchers say.

  • On Aug. 21, Brent Pease and Neil Gilbert published `Light pollution prolongs avian activity` in Science, reporting birds start their days earlier worldwide due to bright skies.
  • Using global satellite data and BirdWeather records, researchers compiled 61 million vocalizations from March 2023 to March 2024, mapping local light pollution levels affecting 80% of the world.
  • Focusing on 583 diurnal bird species, researchers used machine learning on BirdWeather data to analyze 4.4 million filtered calls, studying daily singing onset and cessation.
  • Researchers warn that added activity may reduce resting time and raise caloric needs for birds, while the net effect on survival and reproduction remains uncertain, Pease and Gilbert say.
  • Policy and local actions could include turning off unnecessary outside lights and using more directional or dimmer public lighting, as advocated by Dr Natalie Forsdick; Brent Pease and Neil Gilbert argue restoring night darkness needs global cooperation and intergovernmental policy.
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14 Articles

ABC AustraliaABC Australia
Lean Left

City lights turn Australia's magpie-lark into an extra early morning bird

A worldwide study of more than 4 million birdcalls has found that birds are singing for nearly an hour longer each day because of light pollution.

·Australia
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RNZRNZ
Center

Concern as light pollution encourages birds to sing for longer, study finds

While it may sound lovely to us, a global study warns singing consumes energy and could be reducing birds' overall health.

·New Zealand
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GizmodoGizmodo
Reposted by
World NEWS LiveWorld NEWS Live
Lean Left

Birds Across the World Are Singing All Day for a Disturbing Reason

After analyzing a dataset of more than 60 million recorded birdsongs, researchers found that birds are singing an average of 50 minutes longer per day.

·United States
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El PaisEl Pais
Lean Left

Human Lights Have Lengthened the Song of Birds

In the most enlightened areas of the planet, mostly cities, birds sing for up to an hour more than in areas free of light pollution. The data, published in Science magazine, is one of the results of an investigation with millions of trines of hundreds of species. This supposes that birds begin their daytime activity before and rest later, perhaps perceiving that the days are longer. The advance of the beginning of their vocalizations at dawn and…

·Spain
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Phys.orgPhys.org
Center

Birds in light-polluted areas stay up late into the night

Birds that are active during the day sing later into the night in places with significant light pollution, according to research by a Southern Illinois University Carbondale professor and his colleague.

·United Kingdom
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Science NewsScience News
Center

Around the world, birds sing longer in light-polluted areas

In light-polluted landscapes, birds' singing time is an average of 50 minutes longer per day. It's still unclear if this hurts bird health or helps.

·United States
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npr broke the news in Washington, United States on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
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