A recently published report in this series synthesized the effects of noise from oil and gas development on raptors and songbirds. This report builds and refines the SSS concept with updated graphics and detailed appendices summarizing information from a large body of literature about the various ways in which noise can impact avian species. 

The report includes four types of information critical to NEPA analyses: data, scientific studies, analysis methods, and mitigation measures. It synthesizes each type of information in succinct chapters devoted to specific aspects of the NEPA analysis process, including assessment of noise emitted by oil and gas development, measuring ambient sound in the affected environment, methods for modeling the spread of noise from a proposed action, effects of noise on birds, and approaches to mitigate or minimize noise effects. 

The report found that owls are the most frequently studied group of raptor species, and that noise can impair owl hunting success because of their reliance on hearing during predation. Songbirds are well studied and variably affected by noise because of differences in how much they depend on sound for mating, communication, and predator detection. However, studies have shown consistent negative effects for many species, in some cases because they leave noisy areas or because they stay in noisy habitat and experience adverse physiological or reproductive impacts.

The SSS series and other USGS science synthesis efforts are continuing to explore ways to enhance science delivery for public lands management in the United States. See a list of past and upcoming synthesis products at:

This publication was authored by Logan Maxwell, Tait Rutherford, Nathan Kleist, Elisabeth Teige, and Sarah Carter with the Fort Collins Science Center; Aaron Johnston with the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center; Megan Gilbert, David Wood, and Travis Haby with the Bureau of Land Management; Richard Lehrter, a contractor with the Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center; and John Tull with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The synthesis was published as a U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report and is available online at https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20245087.