© Isabel WinneyThe UK's house sparrow population has been declining since the 1970s
Researchers say the noise could stop adult birds hearing the hunger calls from their dependent offspring.
In their study, the team found that birds nesting in noisy areas were less effective at feeding their chicks as those that nested in quieter places.
The findings have been published in the journal Plos One.
Scientists from the University of Sheffield reached their conclusion after carrying out a study on Lundy, a 445-hectare (1,100-acre) island located 19km (12mi) off the North Devon coast.
Co-author Julia Schroeder explained that the project happened more-or-less by chance.
"When I first went to the island, which is very remote and quiet - apart from gulls and shearwaters - I entered a barn and it was very loud," she recalled.
The barn contained an electricity generator, yet sparrows were still choosing to nest in the building, so Dr Schroeder wondered whether the conditions affected the songbirds.
"I found that there was a reduced fitness - a reduced reproductive output from the nest boxes located in the noisy area," she told BBC News.
