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What’s robbing us of the robin’s song?

It’s the song of the nation’s favourite bird, but the tweeting of the robin is being affected by noise and light pollution, according to new research.

Researchers at Southampton University placed a stuffed robin near nests and found that birds nesting closest to street-lit paths and to busy roads were less vocal and less aggressive in defending their territory.

Francis Mullany, who led the study, told us that noise and light pollution could be affecting robins’ ability to breed and forage.

This clip is originally from 5 live Breakfast on Thursday 15 December 2016.

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