All signals are not equal: acoustic signalling of individuality, sex and breeding status in a cooperative breeder

Warrington, Miyako H.; McDonald, Paul G.; Rollins, Lee A.; Griffith, Simon C.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.05.007

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Within‐call type variation may allow identification at the individual and group levels. Previous studies have revealed evidence of group‐specific choruses, in, for example, Laughing Kookaburras ( Dacelo novaeguinea , Baker ) and individually distinct calls in cooperatively breeding non‐passerines, e.g., Pukekos ( Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus , Clapperton ) and Pale‐winged Trumpeters ( Psophia leucoptera , Seddon et al ), colonial‐nesting non‐passerines, e.g., Thick‐billed Murres ( Uria lomvia , Lefevre et al ), and cooperatively breeding passerines, e.g., Long‐tailed Tits ( Aegithalos caudatus , Sharp and Hatchwell ), Superb Starlings ( Lamprotornis superbus , Keen et al ), and Apostlebirds ( Struthidea cinerea , Warrington et al ). Calls that encode identity tend to be common and loud, with broad frequency bandwidths, characteristics that accurately describe the ahnee and warble calls and the ahnee chorus of Smooth‐billed Anis (Table ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vocal repertoire of cooperatively breeding Smooth-billed Anis

2015

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Calls are functionally diverse signals that mediate behavior in a wide variety of contexts in both passerines and non‐passerines. However, the call‐based acoustic communication systems of non‐passerines have received less attention from investigators than those of passerines. We examined the vocal repertoire of Smooth‐billed Anis (Crotophaga ani), cooperatively breeding cuckoos that live in groups with multiple breeding pairs. We recorded calls from 22 groups over two breeding seasons at the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico. We identified 11 call types and one group vocalization, and used an automated sound measurement program to quantify their acoustic features. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) correctly classified 74.2% of calls based on these features. The vocal repertoire of Smooth‐billed Anis is larger than that reported for the three other species in the subfamily Crotophaginae. Smooth‐billed Anis have at least two alarm calls, two nest‐specific calls, and one nest defense call. We also identified one possible signal of aggressive intent, one possible appeasement signal, and two calls that may communicate identity. The relatively large vocal repertoire of Smooth‐billed Anis and association of distinct call types with different functions and contexts supports the main prediction of the social complexity hypothesis, i.e., species with more complex social systems will have more complex communication systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An important step in studies of call systems is to characterize variation in call structure (Warrington et al ). In many previous studies of acoustic signal repertoires, investigators used qualitative assessments of spectrographs and behavioral contexts to distinguish among call or song types.…”

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confidence: 99%

Vocal repertoire of cooperatively breeding Smooth-billed Anis

2015

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“…In order to compare the individuality levels between the two segments we selected features that could be measured in both tonal (energy concentrated in narrow frequency bands) and wide-spectrum (energy distributed over a broad frequency range) vocalisations, and that were successfully used in previous studies on individual distinctiveness across call types (Bouchet et al, 2012;Warrington et al, 2014). We measured eight acoustic variables common to the bark and howl segments and two additional parameters for the howl segment (Table 1).…”

Section: Acoustic Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The bark, the howl and the bark-howl: Identity cues in dingoes’ multicomponent calls

Déaux¹,

Charrier²,

Clarke³

2016

Behavioural Processes

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“…; Warrington et al. ) and kinship have been found (Sharp & Hatchwell ; McDonald & Wright ). Among highly social birds, individuality has been found in a variety of vocalisation types, including contact calls (Sharp & Hatchwell ), lost calls (Seddon et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In birds, vocalisations are often the dominant form of communication (Halpin 1991) and 'vocal signatures' to both identity (Price 1998;Seddon et al 2002;McDonald et al 2007;Kennedy et al 2009;Warrington et al 2014) and kinship have been found (Sharp & Hatchwell 2006;McDonald & Wright 2011). Among highly social birds, individuality has been found in a variety of vocalisation types, including contact calls , lost calls (Seddon et al 2002), mobbing calls (Kennedy et al 2009), provisioning calls (McDonald et al 2007) and song (Price 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocal Cues to Identity: Pied Babblers Produce Individually Distinct But Not Stable Loud Calls

et al. 2016

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The ability to identify social partners can play a key role in the coordination of social behaviours in group‐living animals. Coordinating social behaviours over long distances becomes problematic, as cues to identity are often limited to one or two sensory modalities. This limitation can often select for strong individuality in those cues used for long‐distance communication. Pied babblers, Turdoides bicolor, produce a number of different types of ‘loud calls’ which are frequently used to signal to individuals beyond the range of visual or olfactory pathways of communication. Here, we show that three of these ‘loud call’ types, the v‐shaped chatter, the double note ascending chatter and the atonal chatter, are each individually distinct. We hypothesise that individuality in the three loud call types tested here may represent a possible pathway to social recognition in this species that may have important consequences for social interactions. However, we also found that the atonal chatter was unstable between years suggesting that this particular call type may not be a reliable long‐term indicator to identity which may affect long‐term recognition in this species.

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All signals are not equal: acoustic signalling of individuality, sex and breeding status in a cooperative breeder

Cited by 17 publications

References 63 publications

Vocal repertoire of cooperatively breeding Smooth-billed Anis

Vocal repertoire of cooperatively breeding Smooth-billed Anis

The bark, the howl and the bark-howl: Identity cues in dingoes’ multicomponent calls

Vocal Cues to Identity: Pied Babblers Produce Individually Distinct But Not Stable Loud Calls

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