Detailed large‐scale mapping of geographical variation of Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella song dialects in a citizen science project

Abstract

Song dialects, as a special case of geographical variation in vocalization, are useful tools in the study of a number of topics ranging from cultural evolution to the emergence of reproductive barriers, and thus continue to be the focus of many bird-song studies. The Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella is a common Palaearctic bird with a long breeding season and song period, whose distinctive song exhibits clearly distinguishable dialects differing in the composition of the final phrase. The species is therefore particularly suitable for large-scale studies of dialect distribution involving not only experts but also members of the public. Here we demonstrate that citizen science can indeed allow mapping of songbird dialect distribution on a national scale in unprecedented detail. During the project Dialects of Czech Yellowhammers, which collected almost 4000 recordings over 6 years (2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016), we obtained information on dialect distribution for almost 90% of the territory of Czechia. We detected most of the common dialect types known elsewhere in Europe, and these were distributed in a fragmented fashion, with several unusual and rare dialects also detected in small areas. However, the highly scattered distribution of birds using some final phrases traditionally assigned to distinct dialects suggests that classification of Yellowhammer dialects warrants a thorough re-assessment based on quantitative data. Successful involvement of the public in this and other ongoing citizen science projects has contributed to the establishment of the Yellowhammer as a model species for dialect research. The dataset will serve as a foundation for future studies investigating processes responsible for the origin and maintenance of avian dialects, and may be particularly useful for evaluating their spatial and temporal stability.

Anuran accents: Continental‐scale citizen science data reveal spatial and temporal patterns of call variability

“…Recently, however, the rise of citizen science projects has enabled data collection on a much greater temporal and spatial scale than ever before (Aceves‐Bueno et al, 2017; Callaghan et al., 2019; Lukyanenko et al., 2016; McKinley et al., 2017; Silvertown, 2009). Such datasets facilitate a breadth of ecological studies that would not be feasible otherwise (Diblíková et al., 2019; Mitchell et al., 2020; Searfoss et al., 2020).…”

Exploring citizen science in post-socialist space: Uncovering its hidden character in the Czech Republic

“…According to Diblíková et al (2013Diblíková et al ( , 2019, scientists usually regard the role of these amateurs as highly beneficial for the collection of geographically-scattered data about selected species (plants, animals, birds, insects, etc.). Others appreciate the possibility of longer-term research, replacing their own lack of research capacities, for example, in water quality monitoring (Fabšičová, Fránková and Šumberová, 2017) or in the observation of phenological changes in nature during and after the vegetation season (Dušková, 2019).…”

“…Others appreciate the possibility of longer-term research, replacing their own lack of research capacities, for example, in water quality monitoring (Fabšičová, Fránková and Šumberová, 2017) or in the observation of phenological changes in nature during and after the vegetation season (Dušková, 2019). Thus, ornithologists help to monitor and protect birds (Diblíková et al, 2019), hunters observe field birds and forest animals, conservationists count endangered species and old varieties of fruit trees, amateur meteorologists track weather, etc. Moreover, they can propose their own research problems and work on many projects.…”

“…We can explain the long tradition of CS projects in the Czech Republic by the long-term history of various amateur associations and popular volunteer observation of the natural environment that provides vast amounts of valuable scientific data, leading to high-quality scientific outputs (e.g. Diblíková et al, 2013Diblíková et al, , 2019. Besides the long duration of these projects (especially ornithology and meteorology), another reason could be a need for non-conflictual social activities during the socialist regime (Vaněk, 1996;Tóth et al, 2018).…”

“…Various scientific papers dealing with citizen science have recently been published (mostly in Czech) in the Czech Republic: a study researching dragonflies used a citizen science approach (Ožana et al, 2019); similarly, a text on ornithological research (Diblíková et al, 2019); and several papers exploring the concept of GeoParticipation, which is (in some respects) closely connected to citizen science (e. g. Pánek et al, 2017). Most other contributions fall within the sphere of grey and/or popular literature.…”