Strong ungraded responses to playback of solos, duets and choruses in a cooperatively breeding Neotropical songbird

Bradley, David W.; Mennill, Daniel J.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.01.037

Cited by 25 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Single‐speaker playback experiments of three duetting species have generated different results, suggesting that joint resource defense is not a universal function of vocal duets. In Tawny Owls ( Strix aluco , Appleby et al 1999), White‐bellied Antbirds ( Myrmeciza longipes , Fedy and Stutchbury 2005), and Rufous‐naped Wrens ( Campylorhynchus rufinucha , Bradley and Mennill 2009a), territorial pairs responded with equal levels of aggression regardless of whether solo or duet stimuli were presented. Warbling Antbirds (Seddon and Tobias 2006) responded more strongly to same‐sex solo stimuli than to duet stimuli, suggesting that solo songs are more important than duets for territory defense in this species.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For species where pair members routinely perform duets at some distance from each other, such as Black‐headed Gonoleks ( Laniarius erythrogaster , Thorpe 1963) and Rufous‐and‐white Wrens ( Thryothorus rufalbus , Mennill and Vehrencamp 2008), a dual‐speaker design is likely essential for the playback simulation to be realistic. This design may be less important when studying species where pair members routinely perform duets in close proximity, such as Tropical Boubous ( Laniarius aethiopicus , Grafe and Bitz 2004a), Magpie Larks (Tingay 1974), and Rufous‐naped Wrens (Bradley and Mennill 2009a). In species where individuals can perform both parts of a duet, dual‐speaker design may be critical; duet stimuli broadcast through a single speaker may simulate one individual producing both parts of a duet, whereas the same stimulus broadcast through separate channels of a multi‐speaker apparatus necessarily simulates two individuals (Rogers et al 2004).…”

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A review of acoustic playback techniques for studying avian vocal duets

Douglas

Mennill

2010

Journal of Field Ornithology

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Playback experiments involve the broadcast of natural or synthetic sound stimuli and provide a powerful tool for studying acoustic communication in birds. Playback is a valuable technique for exploring vocal duetting behavior because it allows investigators to test predictions of the various hypotheses for duet function. Here, we adopt a methodological perspective by considering various challenges specific to studying duetting behavior, and highlighting the utility of different playback designs for testing duet function. Single‐speaker playback experiments allow investigators to determine how duetting birds react to different stimuli, but do not simulate duets in a spatially realistic manner. Multi‐speaker playback experiments are superior to single‐speaker designs because duet stimuli are broadcast with spatial realism and unique and additional predictions can be generated for testing duet function. In particular, multi‐speaker playback allows investigators to evaluate how birds respond to male versus female duet contributions separately, based on reactions to the different loudspeakers. Interactive playback allows investigators to ask questions about the time‐ and pattern‐specific singing behavior of birds, and to understand how singing strategies correspond to physical behavior during vocal interactions. Although logistically challenging, interactive playback provides a powerful tool for examining specific elements of duets (such as the degree of coordination) and may permit greater insight into their functions from an operational perspective. Interactive playback designs where the investigator simulates half of a duet may be used to describe and investigate the function of pair‐specific and population‐wide duet codes. Regardless of experimental design, all playback experiments should be based on a sound understanding of the natural duetting behavior of the species of interest, and should aim to produce realistic and carefully controlled duet simulations. Future studies that couple playback techniques with other experimental procedures, such as Acoustic Location System recordings for monitoring the position of birds in dense vegetation or multimodal techniques that combine acoustic with visual stimuli, are expected to provide an even better understanding of these highly complex vocal displays.

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A review of acoustic playback techniques for studying avian vocal duets

Douglas

Mennill

2010

Journal of Field Ornithology

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“…We include both duets and choruses in our analysis (using the term 'duets' inclusively, for convenience) because the two are related both structurally (vocalization by one individual prompts a coordinated vocal response by one or more other individuals) and functionally (both function in cooperative resource defence; e.g. [19]). We sample across the entire songbird phylogeny (suborder: Passeri), and test for correlated evolution between duetting and migration, breeding latitude and sexual monochromatism.…”

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confidence: 99%

Migration and the evolution of duetting in songbirds

Logue

Hall

2014

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Many groups of animals defend shared resources with coordinated signals. The best-studied of these signals are the vocal duets produced by mated pairs of birds. Duets are believed to be more common among tropical-breeding species, but a comprehensive test of this hypothesis is lacking, and the mechanisms that generate latitudinal patterns in duetting are not known. We used a stratified sample of 372 songbird species to conduct the first broad-scale, phylogenetically explicit analysis of duet evolution. We found that duetting evolves in association with the absence of migration, but not with sexual monochromatism or tropical breeding. We conclude that the evolution of migration exerts a major influence on the evolution of duetting. The perceived association between tropical breeding and duetting may be a by-product of the migrationduetting relationship. Migration reduces the average duration of partnerships, potentially reducing the benefits of cooperative behaviour, including duetting. Ultimately, the evolution of coordinated resource-defence signals in songbirds may be driven by ecological conditions that favour sedentary lifestyles and social stability.

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“…Although much simpler, these coordinated vocalizations share acoustic characteristics of the song duets of tropical bird species (Marshall‐Ball et al . , Molles & Waas , Bradley & Mennill , Koloff & Mennill ). Indeed, avian duets are mutual acoustic displays between two birds, generally a mated pair, that make temporally coordinated vocal or non‐vocal sounds (Farabaugh , Hall ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of vocal exchanges between pair members for joint territory defence is also one of the main functions identified for duets of tropical bird species (Marshall‐Ball et al . , Molles & Waas , Bradley & Mennill , Koloff & Mennill ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactive vocal communication at the nest by parent Great TitsParus major

Boucaud

Valère

Smith

et al. 2016

Ibis

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Although most bird species show monogamous pair bonds and bi‐parental care, little is known of how mated birds coordinate their activities. Whether or not partners communicate with each other to adjust their behaviour remains an open question. During incubation and the first days after hatching, one parent – generally the female – stays in the nest for extended periods, and might depend on acoustic communication to exchange information with its mate outside. The Great Tit Parus major is an interesting study system to investigate intra‐pair communication at the nest because males address songs to their mate while she is in the nest cavity, and females answer the male from the cavity with calls. However, the function of this communication remains unknown. In this study, we recorded the vocalizations and observed the resulting behaviour of Great Tit pairs around the nest at different breeding stages (laying, incubation and chick‐rearing). We observed vocal exchanges (vocalization bouts, alternated on the same tempo, between the female inside the nest and her male outside) in three contexts with different outcomes: (1) the female left the nest, (2) the male entered the box with food, and the female then used specific call types, (3) mates stopped calling but did not leave or enter the nest. The structure of vocal exchanges was globally stable between contexts, but females used calls with an up‐shifted spectrum during exchanges, at the end of which they left the nest or the male entered the nest. Birds vocalized more and at higher tempo during exchanges that ended up in feeding inside the nest. Birds also vocalized more during exchanges taking place during laying – a period of active mate guarding – than during incubation. We conclude that vocal exchanges could signal the females’ need for food and the males’ mate guarding behaviour, and discuss other possible functions of this communication.

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Strong ungraded responses to playback of solos, duets and choruses in a cooperatively breeding Neotropical songbird

Cited by 25 publications

References 30 publications

A review of acoustic playback techniques for studying avian vocal duets

A review of acoustic playback techniques for studying avian vocal duets

Migration and the evolution of duetting in songbirds

Interactive vocal communication at the nest by parent Great TitsParus major

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