(Mar 28, 2019) Can birds hear each other sing in the city? Birds listen closely to other bird songs and learn many things. Are they the right species? Do they sound healthy and attractive, like a good mate? But the loud urban environment can interfere with all that.

In one study, male birds raised the pitch and volume of their mating songs in order to be heard over the urban din. Unfortunately, the females of the species seemed to prefer the traditional deeper-voiced song. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss the mating and dating woes of city birds.