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Birdsong is more than background noise. Our brains appear to respond differently to natural sounds than to the mechanical noise of a city.

Studies have found that listening to birdsong can reduce anxiety and paranoia while improving mood. Natural soundscapes may also help the brain recover from mental fatigue by giving our attention a break from the constant demands of modern environments.

Traffic noise can push things in the opposite direction. Even when we consciously learn to ignore it, the brain and body continue processing the sound. Persistent road noise has been associated with greater stress, disturbed sleep and poorer cognitive performance. Long-term exposure has also been linked to cardiovascular problems.

What makes this particularly interesting is what happens when the two sounds compete. Researchers have found that adding traffic noise to birdsong can weaken or even eliminate some of the psychological benefits people experience from hearing birds.

A park can still be full of trees and wildlife, but if the soundscape is dominated by engines, horns and traffic, part of what makes that environment restorative may disappear.

Protecting nature in cities may therefore mean protecting not only what we can see, but what we can hear.