Fledgling calls are a source of social information for conspecific, but not heterospecific, songbird territory selection

Kelly, Janice K.; Schmidt, Kenneth A.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.1512

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Second-category singing mode may not be available to first-arriving males, and performance-based social cues will become more prevalent later in the season. As the breeding season progresses, individuals may switch to using other social cues more readily available later in the season, such as fledgling activity (Betts et al, 2008;Kelly & Schmidt, 2017) or postbreeding singing activity (Nocera et al, 2006;Betts et al, 2008;Farrell et al, 2012). These other social cues would be particularly useful to individuals prospecting for future breeding locations during the post-breeding season (e.g., Betts et al, 2008;Pärt et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do songbirds attend to song categories when selecting breeding habitat? A case study with a wood warbler

Kelly

Ward

2017

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Breeding habitat selection strongly affects reproduction and individual fitness. Among birds, using social cues from conspecifics to select habitat is widespread, but how different types of conspecific social cues influence breeding habitat selection remains less understood. We conducted a playback experiment evaluating if the yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia), a species with two song categories linked to pairing status, uses categories differently when selecting breeding habitat. We hypothesized that yellow warblers use second-category singing mode, which is mostly sung by paired males, over first-category singing mode for habitat selection, as successfully paired males should indicate higher-quality habitat. We broadcast yellow warbler first-category singing mode, second-category singing mode, and silent controls at sites in Illinois. Yellow warblers were more abundant at sites treated with second-category singing mode compared other sites. Our results demonstrate that yellow warblers use social cues informing successful pairing over other types of social cues to select breeding habitat.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most studies consider signs of reproductive success as performance-based social cues (e.g., Brown et al, 2000;Betts et al, 2008;Kelly & Schmidt, 2017). These cues, however typically can only be sampled at the end of the breeding season and used after a one-year delay.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do songbirds attend to song categories when selecting breeding habitat? A case study with a wood warbler

Kelly

Ward

2017

Behav

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“…The online version of this article (https ://doi.org/10.1007/s0044 2-020-04629 -5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Kelly and Schmidt 2017), and individual quality (Szymkowiak et al 2016) to adjust breeding site choices.…”

Section: Electronic Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, breeding adults and their offspring often remain close (< 100 m) to their nest sites for less than 10 days after fledging (Streby and Andersen 2013;van Overveld et al 2017;Kysučan et al 2020). Therefore, the post-breeding social cues based on the density of adults and fledglings, or their proxies, such as fledgling call rates (Nocera et al 2006;Betts et al 2008;Kelly and Schmidt 2017) may be spatially accurate for only relatively short period of time. Another potential social cue that may be used for assessing habitat quality, even after breeding birds and fledglings have left an area, is presence and contents of old nest structures.…”

Section: Electronic Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Information collected during the post-breeding season guides future breeding decisions in a migratory bird

et al. 2020

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Breeding habitat choice and investment decisions are key contributors to fitness in animals. Density of individuals is a well-known cue of habitat quality used for future breeding decisions, but accuracy of density cues decreases as individuals disperse from breeding sites. Used nests remain an available information source also after breeding season, but whether such information is used for breeding decisions is less well known. We experimentally investigated whether migratory, cavitynesting pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) prospect potential breeding sites after breeding season and use old nests as a cue for future breeding decisions. In late summer 2013, forest sites were assigned to four treatments: (1) sites including nest boxes with old nests of heterospecifics (tits), (2) sites including suitable but empty nest boxes, (3) sites with unsuitable nest boxes, or (4) sites without any nest boxes. In the following year, we investigated pied flycatcher habitat choice and reproductive investment according to these "past" cues while also controlling for additional information sources present during settlement. Flycatchers preferred sites where tits had been perceived to breed in the previous year, but only if great tits were also currently breeding in the site and had a relatively high number of eggs. Old flycatchers avoided sites previously treated with suitable but empty cavities, whereas young flycatchers preferred sites where tits had apparently bred in the previous year. Also egg mass, but not clutch size or clutch mass, was affected by the combination of past treatment information and current tit abundance.

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“…While begging calls of chicks serve as signals for the parents and siblings and (inadvertently) also as cues for heterospecific predators, it is unknown whether begging calls can also function as cues for non-kin conspecifics. What we know about the use of conspecific vocalizations as social information for breeders stems from studies focusing on the period after fledging (e.g., Kelly and Schmidt 2017;Waas et al 2005;Betts et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Begging calls provide social cues for prospecting conspecifics in the wild Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

Brandl

Griffith

Laaksonen

et al. 2019

The Auk

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Social information can spread fast and help animals adapt in fluctuating environments. Prospecting on the breeding sites of others, a widespread behavior, can help to maximize reproduction by, for instance, settling in the same area as other successful breeders. Previous studies have shown that successful broods have the highest number of prospectors and that they are visited most when offspring in nesting sites are already old, making the information more reliable. In this field study, we experimentally tested how prospectors are attracted to successful nest sites. We presented wild Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) with different visual or acoustic cues in nest boxes, simulating the presence of small or large clutches or broods. More Zebra Finches visited experimental nests that were associated with playback recordings of begging calls of large broods (7 chicks) as opposed to begging calls of small broods (3 chicks) and controls (white noise and silence). On the other hand, visual cues (nests with different numbers of eggs or rocks), representing nests at early stages, did not influence either the probability of visits, nor number or duration of visits. We present the first evidence that begging calls of chicks in the nest, a signal intended for kin communication, can also provide social information to unrelated prospecting conspecifics. This information could potentially be used for a fast initial assessment of the quality of a breeding site.

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Fledgling calls are a source of social information for conspecific, but not heterospecific, songbird territory selection

Cited by 13 publications

References 39 publications

Do songbirds attend to song categories when selecting breeding habitat? A case study with a wood warbler

Do songbirds attend to song categories when selecting breeding habitat? A case study with a wood warbler

Information collected during the post-breeding season guides future breeding decisions in a migratory bird

Begging calls provide social cues for prospecting conspecifics in the wild Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

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