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Research Article

High-intensity urban light installation dramatically alters nocturnal bird migration

View ORCID ProfileBenjamin M. Van Doren, Kyle G. Horton, Adriaan M. Dokter, Holger Klinck, Susan B. Elbin, and View ORCID ProfileAndrew Farnsworth
PNAS October 17, 2017 114 (42) 11175-11180; first published October 2, 2017; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1708574114
Benjamin M. Van Doren
aInformation Science Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850;
bEdward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom;
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  • ORCID record for Benjamin M. Van Doren
Kyle G. Horton
aInformation Science Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850;
cDepartment of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019;
dOklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019;
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Adriaan M. Dokter
aInformation Science Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850;
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Holger Klinck
eBioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850;
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Susan B. Elbin
fNew York City Audubon, New York, NY 10010
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Andrew Farnsworth
aInformation Science Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850;
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  • ORCID record for Andrew Farnsworth
  • For correspondence: af27@cornell.edu
  1. Edited by James A. Estes, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, and approved August 31, 2017 (received for review May 29, 2017)

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Significance

Artificial light at night is a novel stimulus in the evolutionary history of nocturnal animals. Light pollution can significantly alter these organisms’ behaviors, from migration to foraging to vocal communication. Nocturnally migrating birds are particularly susceptible to artificial light because of adaptations and requirements for navigating and orienting in darkness. However, light’s effects on in-flight behaviors have not been well quantified, especially in urbanized environments. Here we report that an iconic urban light installation dramatically altered multiple behaviors of nocturnally migrating birds—but these effects disappeared when lights were extinguished. We recommend selective removal of light pollution during nights with substantial bird migration to mitigate negative effects on birds, in particular collisions with lighted structures.

Abstract

Billions of nocturnally migrating birds move through increasingly photopolluted skies, relying on cues for navigation and orientation that artificial light at night (ALAN) can impair. However, no studies have quantified avian responses to powerful ground-based light sources in urban areas. We studied effects of ALAN on migrating birds by monitoring the beams of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum's “Tribute in Light” in New York, quantifying behavioral responses with radar and acoustic sensors and modeling disorientation and attraction with simulations. This single light source induced significant behavioral alterations in birds, even in good visibility conditions, in this heavily photopolluted environment, and to altitudes up to 4 km. We estimate that the installation influenced ≈1.1 million birds during our study period of 7 d over 7 y. When the installation was illuminated, birds aggregated in high densities, decreased flight speeds, followed circular flight paths, and vocalized frequently. Simulations revealed a high probability of disorientation and subsequent attraction for nearby birds, and bird densities near the installation exceeded magnitudes 20 times greater than surrounding baseline densities during each year’s observations. However, behavioral disruptions disappeared when lights were extinguished, suggesting that selective removal of light during nights with substantial bird migration is a viable strategy for minimizing potentially fatal interactions among ALAN, structures, and birds. Our results also highlight the value of additional studies describing behavioral patterns of nocturnally migrating birds in powerful lights in urban areas as well as conservation implications for such lighting installations.

  • artificial light
  • nocturnal migration
  • remote sensing
  • radar ornithology
  • flight calls

Footnotes

  • ↵1B.M.V.D. and K.G.H. contributed equally to this work.

  • ↵2To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: af27{at}cornell.edu.
  • Author contributions: A.F. developed the study, collected visual observations and weather data, and wrote the paper; B.M.V.D. shaped the study, performed statistical analyses, and contributed to writing the paper; K.G.H. analyzed radar data and contributed to writing the paper; B.M.V.D. and K.G.H. generated figures and animations; A.M.D. developed simulations and produced associated figures and text; H.K. performed acoustic energy analysis; H.K. and A.F. analyzed acoustic data; S.B.E. provided bird mortality data, provided coordination, support, and access to the study site.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

  • Data deposition: All visual counts made at Tribute in Light are archived in the eBird database at ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L1744278.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1708574114/-/DCSupplemental.

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Intense urban lights alter bird migration
Benjamin M. Van Doren, Kyle G. Horton, Adriaan M. Dokter, Holger Klinck, Susan B. Elbin, Andrew Farnsworth
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Oct 2017, 114 (42) 11175-11180; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1708574114

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Intense urban lights alter bird migration
Benjamin M. Van Doren, Kyle G. Horton, Adriaan M. Dokter, Holger Klinck, Susan B. Elbin, Andrew Farnsworth
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Oct 2017, 114 (42) 11175-11180; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1708574114
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