While bird species richness declined at noisy sites, bird nesting success was higher there than in the nearby quiet sites, said Clinton Francis, University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-B) who led the study.

'This is the first study to show that noise pollution causes changes in species interactions within bird communities,' said Francis.

'Since noise pollution can be a major cause of declining bird diversity in and around urban areas, better noise control using quieter road surfaces and sound-reducing walls should be considered to help preserve such communities.'

While other studies have shown noise pollution can have a negative impact on bird species, most have been conducted near heavily used roads, said Francis.

These findings were published online in Current Biology.