Effects Of Traffic Noise On Auditory Surveys Of Urban White-Winged Doves

We investigated the effects of urban noise on auditory surveys of White-winged Doves (Zenaida asiatica) in two major cities in Texas. We conducted auditory point counts throughout the morning in San Antonio (n = 6) and Austin (n = 10) during week days (when traffic noise is higher) and weekends. We categorized survey points as near or far from roads (0.8 km, respectively) for comparison. We documented no difference in density estimates in Austin between week days (46 ± 10 pairs/ha) and weekends (52 ± 10 pairs/ha; P = 0.23); however, weekend estimates were consistently higher throughout the morning. Weekend density estimates in San Antonio were higher after 0620 hrs (P < 0.04), the time coinciding with beginning of the morning commute during week days in this city. We documented that weekend estimates (45 ± 5 pairs/ha) were higher than week day estimates (33 ± 5 pairs/ha) for points near roads (within 0.8 km; P = 0.02) but not for points far from roads (P = 0.16). Our results indicate that traffic noise can bias auditory surveys. Survey methods that account for probability of detection should be used to correct for potential noise bias.