Urban planning leaves an audible legacy in a megacity's bird soundscape

Chen, Y.; Hao, Z.; Zhang, C.; Li, Z.; Zhang, L.; Chen, Z.; Fang, W.; Liang, W.; Zhou, T.; Liu, Y.

doi:10.64898/2026.10.18.759919

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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.10.18.759919

Urban planning leaves an audible legacy in a megacity's bird soundscape

Chen, Y.·Hao, Z.·Zhang, C.·Li, Z.·Zhang, L.·Chen, Z.·Fang, W.·Liang, W.·Zhou, T.·Liu, Y.

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Abstract

Cities are planned for people, yet planning also determines where wildlife persists and where residents hear it. How can this acoustic footprint guide planning and monitoring? We combined AI-powered passive acoustic monitoring at 31 stations with detection-corrected models and spatial validation to map Asian Koel activity across Shenzhen. Koel acoustic opportunity declined with tree and built cover and increased with starling and myna opportunity; host information improved prediction at unmonitored sites. Weekly opportunity expanded in spring and varied across the city; sampled-minute exposure concentrated around dawn. Supported predictions intersected planning-sensitive places, while 51.5% of the city grid remained a monitoring gap. We translated these boundaries into monitoring priorities for underrepresented environments and uncertain spring predictions. This reproducible workflow reveals the acoustic imprint of the present-day urban landscape and connects ecological diagnosis, prediction boundaries and adaptive monitoring to inform urban coexistence.

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Chen, Y., Hao, Z., Zhang, C., Li, Z., Zhang, L., Chen, Z., Fang, W., Liang, W., Zhou, T., Liu, Y.. 2026-10-20. Urban planning leaves an audible legacy in a megacity's bird soundscape. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.18.759919

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