Publication Date
2026
College
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Department
Wildlife
Document Type
Poster
Description
The natural phenomenon of the avian morning chorus is a widely utilized mechanism by numerous songbird species to communicate within and across their habitat (Brown and Handford 2003). Anthropogenic factors associated with urban landscapes can influence songbird behavior and alter the way these species interact with their environment (Marín-Gómez and MacGregor-Fors 2021). Morning chorus initiation serves as a strong indicator of urban habitat quality and suitability for songbird species. This study focuses on the impact of urbanization on the initiation of morning chorus in various songbird species across Arcata, CA. Passive acoustic monitoring is utilized to collect auditory data on the first song of each songbird species across multiple urbanized or unurbanized sites and its relativity to sunrise. This study will result in a better understanding of the impacts of urbanization on avian vocalization behaviors.