Note types and coding in parid vocalizations. I: The chick-a-dee call of the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 769-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Charrier ◽  
Laurie L Bloomfield ◽  
Christopher B Sturdy
Keyword(s):  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Poecile Atricapillus ◽  
Type Composition ◽  
Bioacoustic Analysis ◽  
Perceptual Abilities ◽  
Individual Specificity ◽  
Winter Flocks

The chick-a-dee call of the black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766), consists of four note types and is used in a wide variety of contexts including mild alarm, contact between mates, and for mobilizing members of winter flocks. Because note-type composition varies with context and because birds need to identify flock mates and individuals by their calls, it is important that birds are able to discriminate between note types and birds. Moreover, previous experiments have shown that black-capped chickadees are able to discriminate their four note types, but the acoustical basis of this process is still unknown. Here, we present the results of a bioacoustic analysis that suggests which acoustic features may be controlling the birds' perception of note types and of individual identity. Several acoustic features show high note type and individual specificity, but frequency and frequency modulation cues (in particular, those of the initial part of the note) appear more likely to be used in these processes. However, only future experiments testing the bird's perceptual abilities will determine which acoustic cues in particular are used in the discrimination of note types and in individual recognition.

scholarly journals Who’s your neighbor? Acoustic cues to individual identity in red squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus rattle calls

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 758-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon M. Digweed ◽  
Drew Rendall ◽  
Teana Imbeau
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Red Squirrels

Abstract North American red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus often produce a loud territorial rattle call when conspecifics enter or invade a territory. Previous playback experiments suggest that the territorial rattle call may indicate an invader’s identity as squirrels responded more intensely to calls played from strangers than to calls played from neighbors. This dear-enemy effect is well known in a variety of bird and mammal species and functions to reduce aggressive interactions between known neighbors. However, although previous experiments on red squirrels suggest some form of individual differentiation and thus recognition, detailed acoustic analysis of potential acoustic cues in rattle calls have not been conducted. If calls function to aid in conspecific identification in order to mitigate aggressive territorial interactions, we would expect that individual recognition cues would be acoustically represented. Our work provides a detailed analysis of acoustic cues to identity within rattle calls. A total of 225 calls across 32 individual squirrels from Sheep River Provincial Park, Kananaskis, AB, Canada, were analyzed with discriminant function analysis for potential acoustic cues to individual identity. Initial analysis of all individuals revealed a reliable acoustic differentiation across individuals. A more detailed analysis of clusters of neighboring squirrels was performed and results again indicated a statistically significant likelihood that calls were assigned correctly to specific squirrels (55%-75% correctly assigned); in other words squirrels have distinct voices that should allow for individual identification and discrimination by conspecifics.

Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) can identify individual females by their fee-bee songs

The Auk ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Montenegro ◽  
William D Service ◽  
Erin N Scully ◽  
Shannon K Mischler ◽  
Kimberley A Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Poecile Atricapillus ◽  
Individual Female ◽  
Operant Discrimination ◽  
Natural Categories ◽  
Male Chick ◽  
Time And Energy

Abstract Individual recognition is a social behavior that occurs in many bird species. A bird’s ability to discriminate among familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics is critical to avoid wasting resources such as time and energy during social interactions. Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) are able to discriminate individual female and male chick-a-dee calls, potentially male and female tseet calls, and male fee-bee songs. In the current study, we used an operant discrimination go/no-go paradigm to determine whether female and male chickadees could discriminate between fee-bee songs produced by individual female chickadees as well as test which song component(s) enable this discrimination. Birds trained on natural categories—the songs of different females—learned to respond to rewarded stimuli more quickly than birds trained on random groupings of female songs and were able to transfer this learning to new songs from the same categories. Chickadees were also able to generalize their responding when exposed to the bee note of the fee-bee song of rewarded individuals; they did not generalize to fee notes. Our results provide evidence that Black-capped Chickadees can use female-produced fee-bee songs for individual recognition. However, the acoustic features underlying individual recognition require further investigation.

scholarly journals Acoustic cues to individuality in wild male adult African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana)

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10736
Author(s):  
Kaja Wierucka ◽  
Michelle D. Henley ◽  
Hannah S. Mumby
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
Mature Male ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Male Adult

The ability to recognize conspecifics plays a pivotal role in animal communication systems. It is especially important for establishing and maintaining associations among individuals of social, long-lived species, such as elephants. While research on female elephant sociality and communication is prevalent, until recently male elephants have been considered far less social than females. This resulted in a dearth of information about their communication and recognition abilities. With new knowledge about the intricacies of the male elephant social structure come questions regarding the communication basis that allows for social bonds to be established and maintained. By analyzing the acoustic parameters of social rumbles recorded over 1.5 years from wild, mature, male African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) we expand current knowledge about the information encoded within these vocalizations and their potential to facilitate individual recognition. We showed that social rumbles are individually distinct and stable over time and therefore provide an acoustic basis for individual recognition. Furthermore, our results revealed that different frequency parameters contribute to individual differences of these vocalizations.

Newborns Crying in Different Contexts: Discrete or Graded Signals?

1998 ◽  
Vol 86 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1123-1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lenti Boero ◽  
C. Bianchi ◽  
C. Volpe ◽  
A. Marcello ◽  
C. Lenti
Keyword(s):  
Time Window ◽  
Interesting Property ◽  
The Other ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Context Type ◽  
Normal Human ◽  
Individual Specificity

The aim of this study was to investigate whether human infants' cries show individually and contextually discriminable acoustic parameters. 20 full-term normal human newborns (aged 1 to 4 days) had their cries recorded during routine blood withdrawal (pain context) 30 min. before a scheduled feeding (hunger context) and when subjected to kinetic stimuli during neurological examination (manipulation context). Type of cries, melodic contours, F0 parameters, but not the “macro” trend of the start of the fundamental frequency, indicated a difference in pain cries in the other two contexts. All the acoustic features considered showed an individual specificity. The peak frequencies of voiceless or partially voiced wails had the interesting property of being optimised as long distance signals. We hypothesised that this feature of infants' cries may have evolved in a time window when the infants were left in collective nurseries and not carried on the mothers' backs as maintained by the traditional view.

scholarly journals Humans rely on the same rules to assess emotional valence and intensity in conspecific and dog vocalizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 20130926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Faragó ◽  
Attila Andics ◽  
Viktor Devecseri ◽  
Anna Kis ◽  
Márta Gácsi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Emotional Content ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Acoustical Parameters ◽  
Intensity Perception ◽  
First Time ◽  
Vocal Expressions

Humans excel at assessing conspecific emotional valence and intensity, based solely on non-verbal vocal bursts that are also common in other mammals. It is not known, however, whether human listeners rely on similar acoustic cues to assess emotional content in conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations, and which acoustical parameters affect their performance. Here, for the first time, we directly compared the emotional valence and intensity perception of dog and human non-verbal vocalizations. We revealed similar relationships between acoustic features and emotional valence and intensity ratings of human and dog vocalizations: those with shorter call lengths were rated as more positive, whereas those with a higher pitch were rated as more intense. Our findings demonstrate that humans rate conspecific emotional vocalizations along basic acoustic rules, and that they apply similar rules when processing dog vocal expressions. This suggests that humans may utilize similar mental mechanisms for recognizing human and heterospecific vocal emotions.

Acoustic cues to individual identity in the rattle calls of common blackbirds: a potential for individual recognition through multi-syllabic vocalisations emitted in both territorial and alarm contexts

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charline Couchoux ◽  
Torben Dabelsteen
Keyword(s):  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Dual Function ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Bird Calls ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Common Blackbird

Vocal signals convey many types of information, and individually recognizable cues can benefit signallers and receivers, as shown in birdsongs that are used in the contexts of mating and territoriality. Bird calls are typically less complex than songs and thus are likely to convey less information. However, the rattle calls of some species serve a dual function, being emitted as an anti-predator and deterrence signal, and thus may encode information on individual identity. We investigated these questions in the common blackbird (Turdus merula), which emits complex rattle calls in both territorial and alarm contexts. The vocalisations of free-living males were elicited and recorded by playing back songs of unknown males in birds’ territories (territorial context) and also while approaching individuals (predator context). These song-like highly-structured multi-syllabic calls typically had three types of elements. Acoustic and statistical analyses revealed, through elevated repeatability indexes, that most of the acoustic measurements used to describe the complexity of the calls (structural, temporal and frequency parameters) were highly variable, due to inter-individual differences. The size of the call and the characteristics of the starting element only were able to discriminate a high portion of the individual calls. Beyond the very well studied songs of oscines, calls therefore deserve more attention as they also carry a potential for conveying information on individual identity.

scholarly journals Socially foraging bats discriminate between group members based on search-phase echolocation calls

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1103-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna E Kohles ◽  
Gerald G Carter ◽  
Rachel A Page ◽  
Dina K N Dechmann
Keyword(s):  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Individual Discrimination ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Molossus Molossus

Abstract Animals have evolved diverse strategies to use social information for increasing foraging success and efficiency. Echolocating bats, for example, can eavesdrop on bats foraging nearby because they shift from search-phase calls to feeding buzzes when they detect prey. Feeding buzzes can directly convey information about prey presence, but it is unknown whether search-phase calls also convey social information. Here, we investigated whether search-phase echolocation calls, distinct calls produced by some bat species to scan large open areas for prey, can additionally convey individual identity. We tested this in Molossus molossus, a neotropical insectivorous bat that forages with group members, presumably to find ephemeral insect swarms more efficiently. We caught M. molossus from six different social groups and recorded their search-phase calls during a standardized release procedure, then recaptured and tested 19 marked bats with habituation–dishabituation playback experiments. We showed that they can discriminate between group members based on search-phase calls, and our statistical analysis of call parameters supported the presence of individual signatures in search-phase calls. Individual discrimination is a prerequisite of individual recognition, which may allow M. molossus to maintain contact with group members while foraging without using specialized signals for communication.

scholarly journals High frequency audible calls in northern birch mice Sicista betulina in response to handling: effects of individuality, sex and body mass on the acoustics

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilya A. Volodin ◽  
Anna V. Klenova ◽  
Olga G. Ilchenko ◽  
Elena V. Volodina
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Ultrasonic Vocalization ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Null Results ◽  
Correct Assignment ◽  
Ultrasonic Calls ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Discriminant Function Analyses

Abstract Objectives This is the first study of the sonic and ultrasonic vocalization in a Dipodidae rodent. For the small-sized quadrupedal northern birch mouse Sicista betulina, phylogenetically related to the bipedal jerboas (Dipodidae), we report null results for ultrasonic vocalization and investigate the acoustic cues to individual identity, sex and body size in the discomfort-related high-frequency tonal sonic calls. Results We used a parallel audio recording in the sonic and ultrasonic ranges during weighting adult northern birch mice before the scheduled hibernation in captivity. The sonic (audible) high-frequency tonal calls (ranging from 6.21 to 9.86 kHz) were presented in all individuals (7 males and 4 females). The ultrasonic calls lacked in the recordings. Two-way nested ANOVA revealed the effects of caller individual identity on all 10 measured acoustic variables and the effects of sex on four out of 10 measured acoustic variables. Discriminant function analyses with 10 acoustic variables included in the analysis showed 85.5% correct assignment of calls to individual and 79.7% correct assignment of calls to sex; both values significantly exceeded the random values (23.1% and 54.3%, respectively) calculated with randomization procedure. Body mass did not differ between sexes and did not correlate significantly with the acoustic variables.

Localisation of an acoustic signal in a noisy environment: the display call of the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (24) ◽  
pp. 3793-3798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Aubin ◽  
Pierre Jouventin
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Signal ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
King Penguin ◽  
Harmonic Series ◽  
Masking Effect ◽  
Noisy Environment ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Modulation Pattern ◽  
The Individual

SUMMARY King penguin chicks identify their parents by an acoustic signal, the display call. This call consists of a succession of similar syllables. Each syllable has two harmonic series, strongly modulated in frequency and amplitude, with added beats of varying amplitude generated by a two-voice system. Previous work showed that only one syllable of the call is needed for the chick to identify the calling adult. Both the frequency modulation pattern of the syllable and the two-voice system play a role in the call identification. The syllabic organisation of the call, the harmonic structure and the amplitude modulations of the syllables apparently do not contribute to individual recognition. Are these acoustic features useless? To answer to this question, playback experiments were conducted using three categories of experimental signals: (i) signal with only the fundamental frequencies of the natural call, (ii) signal with the amplitude of each syllable kept at a constant level and (iii) signals with only one syllable, repeated or not. The responses of chicks to these experimental signals were compared to those obtained with the calls of their natural parents. We found that these acoustic features, while not directly implicated in the individual recognition process,help the chicks to better localise the signal of their parents. In addition,the redundant syllabic organisation of the call is a means of counteracting the masking effect of the background noise of the colony.

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