The complex song of the warbling vireo

Howes-Jones, Daryl

doi:10.1139/z85-411

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Cassin's Vireo belongs to the Vireonidae, a family whose species display a striking variety of singing styles. Songs vary from the simple repeated phrases of Hutton's Vireo, a species that possesses small repertoires of approximately three phrase types (Mountjoy and Leger 2001), to the highly variable songs of the Warbling Vireo, which combines subunits to produce a heretofore unquantified variety of songs (Howes-Jones 1985). Intermediate between these two extremes are a few close relatives of Cassin's Vireo: Blue-headed Vireo repertoires have been estimated to contain 12 phrase types (James 1981), while Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireos possess repertoires of 5 (James 1984) and 12 songs (Borror 1987), respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition and sequential organization of song repertoires in Cassin’s Vireo (Vireo cassinii)

Hedley

2015

J Ornithol

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The rules governing bird song sequences vary considerably across the avian phylogeny, and modifications to these rules represent one of the many ways in which bird song varies interspecifically. Cassin's Vireo (Vireo cassinii) is one species that shows a highly structured syntax, with clearly non-random patterns of sequential organization in their songs. Here I present a description of Cassin's Vireo song sequences from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California and employ network analysis to quantify transition patterns within the songs. Repertoire sizes varied between 44 and 60 phrase types per bird for the 13 birds analyzed here. The repertoire was subdivided into 'themes' containing between two and seven phrase types. The birds sang the phrase types in a given theme for a time before eventually introducing a new theme; in this manner the repertoire was revealed relatively slowly over time. Theme composition within a bird's repertoire did not change within or between singing bouts throughout the season. The tendency to sing in themes was corroborated by network analysis, which revealed small-world structure in the songs. Phrase types were widely shared within the population. I discuss these findings as they compare with the singing styles of other species, both closely and distantly related.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition and sequential organization of song repertoires in Cassin’s Vireo (Vireo cassinii)

Hedley

2015

J Ornithol

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“…A third hypothesis is that, similar to human language, complexity enhances communicative potential of calls by callers combining basic acoustic elements to generate more complex structures262728293031 or by combining stand-alone calls into sequences32. For instance, in chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ), victim screams and ‘waa’ barks are stand-alone calls but they can also be produced in sequence during agonistic interactions, in which case they are directed at different audiences and have different functions33.…”

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confidence: 99%

Sequential information in a great ape utterance

Fedurek

Zuberbühler

Dahl

2016

Sci Rep

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Birdsong is a prime example of acoustically sophisticated vocal behaviour, but its complexity has evolved mainly through sexual selection to attract mates and repel sexual rivals. In contrast, non-human primate calls often mediate complex social interactions, but are generally regarded as acoustically simple. Here, we examine arguably the most complex call in great ape vocal communication, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) ‘pant hoot’. This signal consists of four acoustically distinct phases: introduction, build-up, climax and let-down. We applied state-of-the-art Support Vector Machines (SVM) methodology to pant hoots produced by wild male chimpanzees of Budongo Forest, Uganda. We found that caller identity was apparent in all four phases, but most strongly in the low-amplitude introduction and high-amplitude climax phases. Age was mainly correlated with the low-amplitude introduction and build-up phases, dominance rank (i.e. social status) with the high-amplitude climax phase, and context (reflecting activity of the caller) with the low-amplitude let-down phase. We conclude that the complex acoustic structure of chimpanzee pant hoots is linked to a range of socially relevant information in the different phases of the call, reflecting the complex nature of chimpanzee social lives.

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“…For example, Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) song begins with one of a small number of notes in the bird's repertoire, followed by various combinations of other notes, some of which are common while others are rare. The large number of song types that result is still only a fraction of the total possible number (Howes-Jones 1985). Ficken and Popp (1992) have described a similar arrangement in the gargle vocalization of Black-capped Chickadees.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

First Documentation of Combinatorial Song Syntax in a Suboscine Passerine Species

Leger¹

2005

Condor

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Abstract. Birds with songs having two or more acoustically distinct elements can arrange them either rigidly (i.e., in the same sequence) or flexibly. Flexible song syntax can be achieved either by varying the number of repetitions of elements or by combining elements in different ways. Combinatorial syntax has been documented only in the songs of oscine passerines and in one nonpasserine, but not in the suboscine passerines. Dawn and day songs of a tyrant flycatcher, the Flammulated Attila (Attila flammulatus), were recorded in Costa Rica. Flexible syntax was noted in both dawn and day song. Attilas not only varied the number of repetitions of their song elements but also combined elements in various ways. This appears to be the first reported case of combinatorial song syntax in a suboscine species.Key words: Attila, song, suboscine, syntax, tyrant flycatcher. Primer Registro de Sintaxis Canora Combinatoria en una Especie Paserina SuboscineResumen. Las aves canoras que poseen dos o más elementos acústicos distintivos pueden acomodarlos ya sea de modo rígido (i.e., en la misma secuencia) o de modo flexible. La sintaxis flexible de cantos puede alcanzarse ya sea variando el número de repeticiones de los elementos o combinando los elementos de diferentes modos. La sintaxis combinatoria ha sido documentada sólo en los cantos de paserinos oscines y en un ave no paserina, pero no en paserinos suboscines. Los cantos del amanecer y diurnos de un tiránido atrapamoscas, Attila flammulatus, fueron registrados en Costa Rica. Encontramos evidencia de sintaxis flexible en cantos del amanecer y diurnos. A. flammulatus no sólo varió el número de repeticiones de su canto, sino que también combinó elementos de varios modos. Este parece ser el primer registro de sintaxis canora combinatoria en una especie suboscine.

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The complex song of the warbling vireo

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Composition and sequential organization of song repertoires in Cassin’s Vireo (Vireo cassinii)

Composition and sequential organization of song repertoires in Cassin’s Vireo (Vireo cassinii)

Sequential information in a great ape utterance

First Documentation of Combinatorial Song Syntax in a Suboscine Passerine Species

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