Repertoires and Countersinging in Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta)

Abstract

Countersinging in territorial birds has been viewed as a form of vocal contest. We studied the role of song repertoires in countersinging by western meadowlarks, Sturnella neglecta, by simultaneous observations of neighboring males. Neighbors tended to switch song types synchronously, but tendency to lead or follow in such switches did not correlate with orientation, subsequent behaviour, tendency to interact (as measured by the number of repetitions of each song type), or breeding stage. Males did not match song types, but were more likely to sing if their neighbour sang a song type that they shared. We suggest that synchronous switching is not a vocal contest in this species, but may be a form of competitive advertisement.

Vocal Imitation in Parrots Allows Addressing of Specific Individuals in a Dynamic Communication Network

“…In comparison, turnovers in the communication networks of territorial species are less frequent and involve fewer individuals [33] . The relatively small and stable network of territorial species may explain why several of them use song type matching with discrete, existing song types for addressing birds in the neighbourhood [8] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] . Addressing of specific individuals in a communication network can also be achieved by vocal labeling of individuals, where a specific vocalisation is linked to a specific individual [15] , [38] , [39] .…”

“…Many of the experiments that suggest addressing of individuals through song type matching or call imitation have focused solely on dyadic interactions, only monitoring the response of the test subject [8] , [14] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] . However, several experiments have now shown that non-intended receivers within a communication network may extract information from the interactions, i.e.…”

Song Switching in Mate Attraction and Territory Defense by Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta)

“…Taken alone, this is consistent with the idea that the frequency of song switches might be a graded signal of aggression (KRAMER & LEMON 1983). However, males also switch song types when they change perch (FALLS & D'AGINCOURT 1982) and when a neighbor starts singing or switches song types (HORN & FALLS 1988a) or when a playback is started on their territory (FALLS & KREBS 1975). Song switches therefore follow a wide range of changes in the behaviors of conspecifics, and correlate with a wide range of changes in the behavior of the singer.…”