Song type matching and vocal performance in territorial signalling by male swamp sparrows

Liu, Irene A.; Soha, Jill A.; Nowicki, Stephen

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.03.007

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…2016; Liu et al. 2018). As a consequence, other aspects of singing, such as syllable diversity, may be equally or more important for communication in this group and perhaps less likely to be compromised evolutionarily.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their long songs and large among-and within-species differences in song duration could buffer against losses of syllable diversity when singing longer trills. Furthermore, using diverse repertoires can make it difficult for receivers to compare song motor performance among individuals (Logue and Forstmeier 2008;Cardoso et al , 2012bPodos et al 2016;Liu et al 2018). As a consequence, other aspects of singing, such as syllable diversity, may be equally or more important for communication in this group and perhaps less likely to be compromised evolutionarily.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Independent evolution of song diversity and song motor performance in canaries, goldfinches and allies indicates clade‐specific trade‐offs in birdsong

et al. 2020

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The diversity and the motor performance of birdsongs can both be sexually selected. In wood warblers, most species with high motor performance sing a greater proportion of trills, presumably to advertise performance, and thus have lower syllable diversity. We tested if this trade‐off between motor performance and syllable diversity extends to canaries, goldfinches and allies, a clade with much longer and more varied songs. We assembled a molecular phylogeny and inferred song motor performance based on the speed of frequency modulation either in trills or in within‐song intervals. The two metrics of performance were positively, but only mildly, related across species. While performance evaluated in intervals had high phylogenetic signal, performance evaluated in trills changed independently of phylogeny and was constrained by body size. Species in densely vegetated habitats sang fewer trills, but did not differ in motor performance. Contrary to wood warblers, song motor performance did not predict the proportion of trilled syllables nor within‐song syllable diversity, perhaps because large differences in the song duration of canaries, goldfinches and allies prevent trills from severely compromising syllable diversity. Opposed results in wood warblers and in these finches indicate the existence of clade‐specific trade‐offs in the evolution of birdsong.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Independent evolution of song diversity and song motor performance in canaries, goldfinches and allies indicates clade‐specific trade‐offs in birdsong

et al. 2020

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“…Intense counter singing might be unnecessary in a highly stable system in which neighbours live together for many years. Alternatively, the lack of intense counter singing might function to conceal information from the rival or eavesdropping neighbours (Liu, Soha, & Nowicki, 2018). In addition to the single‐song response, there was a relatively long delay to reply to playback, with a mean latency of 45 s in pilot playbacks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Song matching in a long‐lived, sedentary bird with a low song rate: The importance of song type, song duration and intrusion

2020

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Territorial songbirds often match the song features or singing patterns of rivals, commonly as an aggressive signal. Most studies of song matching have been on Northern Hemisphere species with short lifespans and high song rates, but vocal matching is predicted to be affected both by longevity and territorial stability. We studied song matching in males of the white-browed scrubwren, Sericornis frontalis, a long-lived, sedentary, territorial Australian songbird. We quantified natural song rate and diversity, and then conducted three playback experiments to test: (a) whether males match by song type; (b) how they respond physically and vocally to territorial intrusion; and (c) whether they match by song length, and use it as an agonistic signal. Males naturally had very low song rates, singing on average less than three times per hour, and moderate repertoires, with an estimated mean of 17.5 song types for individual males. Males did not engage in extended counter-singing bouts. The first experiment showed that males matched the song type of immediate neighbours almost 90% of the time, if that type was in their repertoire. The remaining experiments revealed that song-type matching was an aggressive signal; males responded more aggressively to, and were more likely to match, playback simulating a neighbour's territorial intrusion than song from their shared boundary. Males did not match songs by length, but they produced longer songs after simulated intrusion. Males also responded more aggressively to playback of longer songs that simulated intrusion, but less aggressively to longer songs from the territory boundary. Overall, we show that sedentary, long-lived songbirds with low song rates, can use song-type matching as an aggressive signal to communicate with neighbours and intruders. Song length had a different role in communication, possibly related to individual quality or territory ownership.

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Constraints on song type matching in a songbird

Searcy

Ocampo

Nowicki

2019

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Song type matching and vocal performance in territorial signalling by male swamp sparrows

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

Independent evolution of song diversity and song motor performance in canaries, goldfinches and allies indicates clade‐specific trade‐offs in birdsong

Independent evolution of song diversity and song motor performance in canaries, goldfinches and allies indicates clade‐specific trade‐offs in birdsong

Song matching in a long‐lived, sedentary bird with a low song rate: The importance of song type, song duration and intrusion

Constraints on song type matching in a songbird

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