Aim: On islands, species richness is reduced and interspecific competition relaxed in relation to the mainland, allowing species to use broader ecological niches. These factors are known to affect diet and morphology, but can also affect communication and acoustic signalling in particular. However, no study has ever compared insular and continental soundscapes to determine to which extent islands present reduced acoustic richness (number of co-vocalizing species) and fewer constraints for vocalizing species.Location: São Tomé Island, Mount Cameroon, Madeira Island, Southern France.Taxon: Birds. Methods:We compared two pairs of insular and continental soundscapes: one in a temperate zone, the other in the tropics. We recorded sounds produced in similar types of primary forests and measured acoustic richness and ambient noise profiles.We then assessed acoustic niche organization by computing, for each community, species turnover, temporal and frequency overlaps, and acoustic avoidance. Results:We found fewer species co-vocalizing on islands compared to mainland and in temperate compared to tropical region. Ambient noise was louder in the tropics and occupied a wider frequency range, especially on the mainland, thereby revealing a reduction in available acoustic space for tropical mainland birds. In this more crowded and noisy soundscape, species presented a higher acoustic turnover, overlapped less in time and in frequency with each other and acoustically avoided each other more when compared to the three other communities.Main conclusions: Soundscapes differed and imposed fewer constraints on vocalizing species along the species diversity gradient from tropical mainland to temperate island. Acoustic niche partitioning increased with species richness and was associated with increased levels of acoustic interference. Results set a scene for an effect of relaxed competition on song evolution on islands, especially in the tropics.

Disturbance of wildlife by ecotourism has become a major concern in the last decades. In the Mediterranean, sea‐based tourism and related recreational activities are increasing rapidly, especially within marine protected areas (MPAs) hosting emblematic biodiversity. We investigated the impact of ecotourism in the Scandola MPA (UNESCO World Heritage Site, Corsica island), on the population of a conservation flagship, the Osprey Pandion haliaetus. Over the 37‐year study period, tourists flow increased sharply. Osprey breeding performance initially increased, but then dropped for pairs nesting within the MPA compared to those breeding elsewhere in Corsica. We examined several hypotheses that could explain such reduction in breeding performance. Recent osprey breeding failures in the MPA are not caused by food scarcity. Using underwater fish surveys, we showed that fish consumed by ospreys were more numerous within the MPA. Focal observation at nests revealed that the overall number of boat passages within 250 m of osprey nests were three times higher inside the MPA compared to a control area. Elevated boat traffic significantly modified osprey time‐budgets, by decreasing prey provisioning rate by males, and increasing time spent alarming and flying off the nest in females. This caused stress, and corticosterone levels in chick feathers were three times higher in high‐traffic areas compared to places with lower touristic flow in Corsica, the Balearic Islands and Italy. Overall, our integrative, long‐term study demonstrates the negative impact of sea‐based ecotourism on the Corsican osprey population. This stresses the worldwide importance of rigorously implementing sustainable ecotourism, within well‐enforced MPAs.