Presenter(s): Piet Fretz — Philosophy
Co-Presenter(s): Lawren Paris, Kyle Hoekstra
Faculty Mentor(s): Lisa Munger
Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation
This study investigated how duck species living in urban spaces have adapted their calls to account for human noise disturbances. By recording a cohort of ducks in local urban green spaces such as Alton Baker Park and the Willamette Waterfront in Eugene, Oregon, and contrasting that to recordings taken of a second cohort living in exurban natural habitats like Fern Ridge Lake, we isolated how these animals change their calls to account for anthropogenic sound masking. Using Cornell Labs Ravenlite software, we isolated the frequency, amplitude, and duration of duck calls. These field data were compared to existing published urban bioacoustic data to help develop a pattern of behavioral differences between these two cohorts of ducks. Results indicated that ducks of the same species altered their calls between the two locations. Additional research is needed to continue to develop the body of work relating to the effect human noise patterns have on existing wildlife.