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One would think more little birds chirping in the area of Chernobyl, site of the disastrous nuclear meltdown in 1986, would be a good thing, but upon closer examination, scientists found that those birds are singing the blues.

“We’re seeing higher mortalities for females than males, reflecting the increased costs of reproduction in these stressful environments,” said co-author Timothy Mousseau, a professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina.

Although male birds were also fewer in more contaminated areas, fewer females meant males had to make more mating calls in hopes of finding love. The recent discovery also means that earlier scientists measuring the impact of the disaster overestimated bird populations since they were using a combination of sounds and sightings to compile their data.

Full story at PLoS One via Newswise.

The saddest songs in science.

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