Acoustic, morphological, and genetic adaptations to urban habitats in the silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)

Abstract

Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) are native Australian birds that thrive in both cities and rural areas. Their diverse repertoire of songs and calls overlap with the frequency range of urban noise. This chapter examines the silvereye to determine the various aspects of urban vocal adjustment, and to test some hypotheses on urban acoustic adaptation. It asks the following questions: Do songs and calls differ between rural and urban silvereye populations? Are any differences potentially adaptive? What evidence is there of signal flexibility? Are any vocalization changes accompanied by morphological or genetic changes? The chapter also looks into the potential mechanisms and consequences of any..