invisible bulldozer

"Sounds can travel over long distances, at all times of day, and through solid obstacles. These qualities make them excellent stimuli for animals but also pollutants par excellence. The concept of pollution calls forth images of chemicals billowing from smokestacks, scum-covered rivers, and other visible signs of degradation. But noise can degrade habitats that look otherwise idyllic, and make otherwise livable places unlivable. It can act as an invisible bulldozer that pushes animals out of their normal ranges. And where will they go? More than 83 percent of the continental United States lies within a kilometer of a road."

From An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, Ed Yong