Decay of Apparent Individual Distinctiveness in the Begging Calls of Adult Female White-Throated Magpie-Jays

Ellis, Jesse M.S.

doi:10.1525/cond.2008.8592

Cited by 24 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Females beg to their mates in courtship contexts (Clancy 2005;East 1981;Ellis et al 2009;Otter et al 2007;Tobias and Seddon 2002), while incubating (Ellis 2008;Moore and Rohwer 2012;Tobias and Seddon 2002) and also during the nestling feeding phase before apportioning food to the nestlings (Clancy 2005). Female begging displays include loud vocalizations, body postures and wing fluttering, which closely resemble the begging displays of older nestlings (Ellis et al 2009;Godfray 1991;Harper 1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

et al. 2014

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ABSTRACT. The 'female nutrition' hypothesis proposes that food provided by males during incubation is an important energy source for females in bird species in which females alone incubate. Females should be able to communicate their needs through begging signals to mates and males may compensate for the energetic limitations of females through their feeding visits, owing to their overlapping reproductive interests. To test whether female begging during incubation is an honest signal of energetic need and whether mates respond to it we experimentally handicapped female pied flycatchers at the beginning of incubation by clipping two primary flight feathers on each wing. Experimental manipulation led females to intensify begging displays arising from condition impairment and males accordingly increased their incubation feeding rates.Female begging intensity explained more than half of the variation in male incubation feeding rate, thereby showing that female nutrition is the main factor explaining male incubation feeding. Moreover, handicapped females consumed a higher proportion of male food deliveries during the first few days after hatching and weighed less at the end of the nestling period than control females.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

et al. 2014

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“…White-throated magpie-jays used three vocalizations and associated visual displays that resulted in the caller receiving an allofeeding: a quiet, high-pitched begging chirp produced by nestlings and recently fledged young upon the arrival of a potential provisioner; a moderately loud swallow-call associated with the transfer of a food item to a begging bird, produced by both sexes of all ages; and a loud begging call, produced by fledglings and some adult birds (Langen 1996b; Ellis 2008). The loud begging vocalization often included an associated visual display of bill-gaping, wing-flapping, and a crouching posture with the bill oriented upward.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), and 2003-2005 (J.M.S.E.). Between 8 and 14 groups were intensively studied during each period (see Langen 1996a; Langen & Vehrencamp 1998; Langen & Vehrencamp 1999; Berg 2004; Berg 2005; Ellis 2008). Most individuals in each group were trapped and marked with colored metal bands for individual identification.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During each focal observation, we quantified the number of begging calls given by the focal breeding female, the number of allofeeds received by her or the offspring during each observation period, and the identity of provisioners and other birds that interacted with the breeders or offspring. During 2003-2005, while performing focal sound recordings of magpie-jays (Ellis 2008), J.M.S.E. and assistants monitored begging vocalizations and breeding behaviour (whether breeding units were nest-building, egg-laying, or incubating eggs or nestlings) in 14 breeding units, including 16 group-breeding attempts and 20 pair-breeding attempts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Signalling for food and sex? Begging by reproductive female white-throated magpie-jays

2009

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Food begging is common in nutritionally dependent young of many animals, but structurally homologous calls recur in adult signal repertoires of many species. We propose eight functional hypotheses for begging in adults; these stem from observations in birds but apply broadly to other taxa in which begging occurs. Adult cooperatively-breeding white-throated magpie-jays (Calocitta formosa) use loud begging vocalizations, particularly near the nest site during reproduction. We analysed the social context and behavioural phenology of loud calling and allofeeding in this species and compared these with predictions from each functional hypothesis. We found that reproductive females are the primary producers of beg calls, and their begging peaks during the fertile period when reproductive conflict among males and females was highest. Loud begging rates correlated positively with provisioning rates, but females called more in the pre-incubation fertile period than after they initiated incubation. Based on the context, phenology and active space of the signal, we conclude that female loud begging vocalizations function to signal nutritional need to group members, but also have been evolutionarily co-opted to advertise fertility to potential extra-pair partners. The location of calling is likely a consequence of nest guarding by breeding females to prevent intraspecific brood parasitism.

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“…However, it should be noted that the DFA assigned only 24.5% (in-nest calls) and 32% (songs) of elements to the correct mother-offspring pair, suggesting some overlap between individuals. These results may be explained by low variation between the individuals (possibly due to low sample size) or because there is some natural vocal variation within individuals over time (see Ellis, 2008). For example, Matrosova et al (2009Matrosova et al ( , 2010 showed that alarm call structures were unstable over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kin Signatures Learned in the Egg? Red-Backed Fairy-Wren Songs Are Similar to Their Mother's In-Nest Calls and Songs

2016

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Many vocal animals recognize kin using vocal cues, in territorial contexts and in rearing young, but little is known about the developmental and evolutionary mechanisms that produce vocal kin recognition systems. In the cooperatively breeding red-backed fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus), females give specific "in-nest calls" while incubating their eggs. Elements from these calls are incorporated into chicks' begging calls, and appear to be used by parents for recognition. This is likely a result of an embryo's ability to learn the call elements in the egg. Here, we explore the idea that maternal vocal elements may be incorporated into offspring's adult songs, and serve as signatures of kinship, which would aid in kin recognition and benefit signaler and receiver. To investigate this hypothesis, we tested for similarities between maternal vocal elements (in-nest calls and songs) and songs of their adult offspring. We then determined whether offspring songs were more similar to the maternal vocalizations they heard only as embryos (in-nest calls), or maternal songs they heard throughout development, but mostly post-fledge (mothers' full songs). We used dynamic time warping to compare maternal vocal elements with elements in their offspring's adult songs. The elements of each offspring were more similar to the elements of their own mother than to the elements of any other female (but only for the average similarity score), suggesting they may serve as kin signatures. We also found that offspring song elements were more similar to their mother's song elements than to their mother's in-nest call elements. In addition, female in-nest call elements were more similar to their own song elements than to the song elements of any other female. Offspring that produced song elements highly similar to their mother's song elements also had song elements highly similar to their mother's in-nest call elements. Signals of kinship may function critically for survival and successful reproduction, by allowing an individual to allocate care and defense to kin and to avoid mating with genetic relatives. Understanding the processes that facilitate effective kin recognition, including development of kin signatures, helps us to understand how these crucial signaling systems may have evolved.

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Decay of Apparent Individual Distinctiveness in the Begging Calls of Adult Female White-Throated Magpie-Jays

Cited by 24 publications

References 47 publications

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

Signalling for food and sex? Begging by reproductive female white-throated magpie-jays

Kin Signatures Learned in the Egg? Red-Backed Fairy-Wren Songs Are Similar to Their Mother's In-Nest Calls and Songs

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