Birdsong became more beautiful during lockdown because humans weren’t drowning it out, scientists reveal

‘When you reduce noise pollution there's almost an immediate effect on wildlife’, Harry Cockburn reports

As road traffic has increased over the years, species such as the white-crowned sparrow have adjusted by raising the pitch of their song to be heard (Getty)

At the peak of lockdown the endless clamour of the human world temporarily ceased - countless industries paused operations, non-essential shops closed their shutters, roads fell almost silent.

Those people who were able to venture outside their homes, either to take their government-sanctioned daily exercise, or to travel to key jobs, experienced a very different world, and one which as many noted at the time, was full of birdsong.

A new study now indicates it was not just the sudden drop in noise pollution which suddenly allowed us to hear the birds.