Photic Niche Explains Avian Behavioral Responses to Solar Eclipses

TL;DR

Birds generally quiet down during total solar eclipses, but nocturnal and large-eyed species vocalize more, showing how light changes affect bird behavior.

Contribution

This study reveals how photic niche influences avian vocal behavior during solar eclipses using a large participatory science dataset.

Findings

Most bird species vocalized less during a total eclipse with >94% solar obscuration.

Nocturnal and large-eyed species increased vocalizations during the total eclipse.

An annular eclipse with 90% obscuration did not significantly alter bird vocalization behavior.

Abstract

Solar eclipses rapidly alter abiotic conditions and thus represent natural experiments for understanding how animals respond to ephemeral environmental change. Using a large acoustic dataset (181 species, 873 locations) from participatory science, we quantified how birds changed their vocalizations in response to the 2023 annular and 2024 total eclipses in North America. During the total eclipse, most species vocalized less, but nocturnal and large‐eyed species vocalized more. The generalized quieting was restricted to locations with > 94% solar obscuration; most bird species vocalized more in locations with 70%–93% solar obscuration, which experienced only modest dimming. During the annular eclipse (which occurred during the nonbreeding season and reached a maximum of 90% obscuration), most birds did not change their vocalization behavior. Thus, changing photic conditions during solar eclipses are reflected in the composition of species vocalizing, leading to ephemeral shifts in ecological soundscapes.

Most bird species—except for those that are adapted for activity under dim conditions—were less likely to vocalize during the maximum of a total solar eclipse, whereas an annular eclipse reaching only 90% solar obscuration did not lead to behavioral effects.

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