Song matching in western meadowlarks

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 2520-2524 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bruce Falls
Keyword(s):  
Response Latency ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Response Strength ◽  
Chance Level ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Exchange Of Information ◽  
Neighbor Recognition ◽  
Song Types ◽  
Sturnella Neglecta ◽  
Song Playback

Song playback to western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) at Delta, Manitoba, using recordings of song types that the subjects had in their repertoires, showed that the tendency of males to respond with the same song type (match) depended on the source of the recording. Song-type matching decreased from own to stranger to neighbor recordings (not significantly above the chance level in the latter case). An explanation for these results is offered that combines elements of facilitation and neighbor recognition. Correspondence between response latency and intersong intervals of the responding bird suggested that matching song was entrained by the playback but nonmatching responses were not. This indicates that matching and nonmatching are qualitatively different responses. However, matching and nonmatching responses did not differ with respect to conventional measures of response strength. Matching directs a response to a particular singer and may facilitate one-to-one exchange of information, for example, concerning location of the singers. Comparisons are drawn with parallel studies of great tits (Parus major).

The Reaction of Great Tits (Parus major) to Playback of Degraded and Undegraded Songs: The Effect of Familiarity with the Stimulus Song Type

The Auk ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 898-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K. McGregor ◽  
John R. Krebs ◽  
Laurene M. Ratcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Parus Major ◽  
Song Type ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Song Types

Abstract We played degraded and undegraded song types to territorial Great Tits. Each bird was tested with degraded and undegraded renditions of a song type in its repertoire and of a song not in its repertoire. The birds responded less strongly to degraded than to undegraded songs, and the difference was significant only if the test song was of the same type as, or similar to, one in the bird's repertoire. These results are consistent with Richards' (1981) hypothesis that degradation cues are used to judge distance and Morton's (1982) idea that degradation may be judged by comparison with a standard consisting of the bird's own rendition of the song. We also found that birds are better able to discriminate between undegraded and degraded song types if their neighbors sing the song. The results are discussed in relation to hypotheses concerning song matching and neighbor-stranger discrimination.

Song Types in a Population of Great Tits (Parus Major): Their Distribution, Abundance and Acquisition By Individuals

Behaviour ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 79 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 126-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K. Mcgregor ◽  
John R. Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Song Repertoire ◽  
Song Dialects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Song Acquisition ◽  
Song Types

AbstractThis 6-year study of song acquisition in a marked population of great tits suggests that songs are learned both before and after dispersal, songs are not learned from fathers. The spatial and temporal distribution of songs in the population is also discussed. There is a decline in the proportion of the song repertoire shared with increasing distance from a male, but there is no consistent pattern of song type grouping, some songs are clumped while others are not. Size of repertoire is not related to male age. These results are discussed in relation to laboratory studies of song learning, song dialects and functional hypotheses concerning song learning.

Song-type matching in the song sparrow

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 1440-1444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip K. Stoddard ◽  
Michael D. Beecher ◽  
S. Elizabeth Campbell ◽  
Cynthia L. Horning
Keyword(s):  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Washington State ◽  
The Self ◽  
Song Sparrow ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Resident Population ◽  
Song Sparrows ◽  
The Stranger ◽  
Song Playback

Song playback to song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) in a resident population in Washington state showed that the tendency of birds to respond with the same song type (match) depended on the identity of the singer. Matching rates were high to 'self song (60%) and 'stranger' song (50%) and low to 'neighbor' song (20%, not significantly above chance level). The higher matching rate to stranger song was particularly interesting, since the neighbor test songs were generally more similar to the subjects' songs than were the stranger test songs (the self songs, of course, were the most similar). The importance of the neighbour–stranger contrast, in addition to song similarity, in eliciting song matching confirms similar conclusions from earlier studies on the great tit (Parus major) and western meadowlark (Sturna neglecta).

Sequence of songs in repertoires of western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta)

1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 1165-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bruce Falls ◽  
John R. Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Random Sequence ◽  
Song Type ◽  
First Order ◽  
Decrease Rate ◽  
Sequential Organization ◽  
Recurrence Intervals ◽  
Spontaneous Singing ◽  
Song Types ◽  
Sturnella Neglecta

The male western meadowlark has a repertoire of 5–12 song types and produces a bout of repetition of one song type before switching to another. Songs of neighboring birds were played to three territorial males to investigate the effect of playback on choice of song types. In contrast to findings on some other species, there was no tendency for responding birds to choose a song type that matched the playback. However, birds did tend to switch songs whenever the playback started. There was equal response to all song types, and little evidence of habituation between playback sessions.The sequence of switches from one song type to another was compared with a random sequence generated by computer simulation. Both during spontaneous singing, and in response to playback, there was significant avoidance of low recurrence intervals (the number of switches between two bouts of the same song). Thus, birds tended to cycle through their repertoires. The sequence more closely approximates a second- than a first-order Markov process.Song repertoires may function to decrease rate of habituation of receivers to whom the signal is directed. The sequential organization of switches is interpreted within this functional framework.

Songs and Sexual Responses of Female White-Crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia Leucophrys) From a Mixed-Dialect Population

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 173-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ross Lein ◽  
Glen Chilton
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Genetic Isolation ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Zonotrichia Leucophrys ◽  
Dialectal Variation ◽  
Male Song ◽  
Song Dialect ◽  
Song Types ◽  
Song Playback

AbstractSome researchers have suggested that female songbirds mate with males singing local song types in preference to males singing dialects from more distant populations. Such behaviour might promote genetic isolation among dialect populations. We studied captive female white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) from a population in which two song types were equally common, as a model for behaviour at dialect boundaries. Subjects were captured as adults, and the song type of the mate of each was known. Treated with estradiol, females gave sexual displays in response to playback of conspecific male song. As a group, they solicited no more strongly to either local song type, suggesting that males singing either local song type should be able to attract mates. Individuals solicited no more strongly to their mate's song type than to the other local song type. This suggests that strength of response of captive females to song playback may not accurately reflect the behaviour of free-living individuals. Subjects were also treated with testosterone to induce singing. Individuals sang their mates' song type more often than expected by chance. Given that female white-crowned sparrows in this population do not consistently choose mates of one song type, we develop the argument that females learn, for performance, the song type of their first mate. However, the type of song learned for performance appears unlikely to restrict their subsequent mate choice decisions. Our results suggest that female white-crowned sparrows do not base their choice of mates on dialectal variation in male song, and that it is unlikely that mate choice decisions based on song dialect promote the genetic isolation of dialect populations.

Structure of western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) song repertoires

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Horn ◽  
J. Bruce Falls
Keyword(s):  
Song Type ◽  
Song Types ◽  
Sturnella Neglecta ◽  
Song Repertoires

Each male western meadowlark sings a repertoire of 3 – 12 (average 6) song types, sometimes acquiring more with age. Song types within repertoires are not especially contrasting, song type abundance is apparently randomly distributed, and neighboring birds share no more song types than distant birds. The results suggest that song types are learned early in life, and that the particular identity of the song types learned is not important for communication.

scholarly journals Rocker outsole shoe is not a threat to postural stability in patients with diabetic neuropathy

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Banafshe Ghomian ◽  
Mojtaba Kamyab ◽  
Hassan Jafari ◽  
Mohammadebrahim Khamseh ◽  
Aoife Healy
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Neuropathy ◽  
Response Latency ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Response Strength ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Foot Ulceration ◽  
Objective Evidence ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Force Displacement

Background: Rocker outsole shoes are commonly prescribed to patients with diabetic neuropathy to offload a particular area of the foot sole, thereby decreasing the risk of foot ulceration. Contrary to this, some evidence has reported a postural destabilising effect of these shoes in healthy adults. Objective: To explore the postural stability of patients with diabetic neuropathy who wear a rocker outsole shoe. Study design: Quasi-experimental. Method: In total, 17 patients with diabetic neuropathy (aged 49.29 ± 7.48 years; 7 female, 10 males) participated in this study. A Motor Control Test measuring centre of force displacement, response strength scale and response latency in medium and large perturbations was conducted using the EquiTest system to evaluate postural stability while wearing a baseline shoe (without a rocker outsole) or a rocker outsole shoe (with a toe-only rocker sole). Results: No significant difference was observed between the shoe conditions in centre of force displacement and response latency of the participants (p > 0.05). The results indicated a significant increase in the response strength scale of participants by the rocker outsole, for medium forward and backward and large forward perturbations ( p = 0.014, p = 0.001 and p = 0.027, respectively). Conclusion: When the immediate effect is a concern, the rocker outsole shoe did not negatively affect postural stability in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Clinical relevance This article will provide objective evidence about the effect of rocker outsole on postural balance in diabetic patients. In prescription of rocker outsole to prevent plantar ulceration of diabetic foot, immediate postural destabilising is not a concern.

scholarly journals The Duet Code of the Female Black-Bellied Wren

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 326-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Logue
Keyword(s):  
Animal Communication ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Female Response ◽  
Male Song ◽  
Vocal Responses ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Behavioral Mechanisms ◽  
Song Types

Abstract In many duet-singing songbirds, paired birds combine their song types nonrandomly to form duet songs. Several different behavioral mechanisms could generate nonrandom song type associations in duets. I tested female Black-bellied Wrens (Thryothorus fasciatoventris) for one such mechanism: adherence to a set of rules linking female response songs to male stimulus songs. I call this set of rules a “duet code.” Duets of free-living Black-bellied Wrens were recorded in 2001 and 2002. In 2003 I returned to the same territories and played the male song types from the recorded duets. Females answered male song stimuli as if duetting with the playback speaker. Although the known repertoires of females averaged 8.4 song types, each female sang only a single song type in response to each male song type. Random answering could not account for this pattern, supporting the hypothesis that females abide by duet codes. Females that were still paired with their mates from 2001–2002 answered 100% of their mate's songs with the same song types they had used previously, demonstrating that codes are stable over time. In contrast, females that were new to a territory answered an average of only 18% of their mate's song types with the same song type as the previous female, indicating that duet codes are individually distinctive. Duet participation by female Black-bellied Wrens represents a special kind of animal communication, in which discrete vocal signals consistently elicit discrete vocal responses according to an individually distinctive set of rules.

scholarly journals Deceptive vocal duets and multimodal display in a songbird

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1864) ◽  
pp. 20171774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Ręk ◽  
Robert D. Magrath
Keyword(s):  
Group Living ◽  
Visual Display ◽  
Reliable Information ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Visual Displays ◽  
Visual Component ◽  
Song Types ◽  
Multimodal Signalling ◽  
Australian Magpie ◽  
Vocal Duets

Many group-living animals cooperatively signal to defend resources, but what stops deceptive signalling to competitors about coalition strength? Cooperative-signalling species include mated pairs of birds that sing duets to defend their territory. Individuals of these species sometimes sing ‘pseudo-duets’ by mimicking their partner's contribution, but it is unknown if these songs are deceptive, or why duets are normally reliable. We studied pseudo-duets in Australian magpie-larks, Grallina cyanoleuca , and tested whether multimodal signalling constrains deception. Magpie-larks give antiphonal duets coordinated with a visual display, with each sex typically choosing a different song type within the duet. Individuals produced pseudo-duets almost exclusively during nesting when partners were apart, but the two song types were used in sequence rather than antiphonally. Strikingly, birds hid and gave no visual displays, implying deceptive suppression of information. Acoustic playbacks showed that pseudo-duets provoked the same response from residents as true duets, regardless of whether they were sequential or antiphonal, and stronger response than that to true duets consisting of a single song type. By contrast, experiments with robot models showed that songs accompanied by movements of two birds prompted stronger responses than songs accompanied by movements of one bird, irrespective of the number of song types or singers. We conclude that magpie-larks used deceptive pseudo-duets when partners were apart, and suppressed the visual display to maintain the subterfuge. We suggest that the visual component of many species' duets provides the most reliable information about the number of signallers and may have evolved to maintain honesty in duet communication.

scholarly journals Song discrimination by male Mourning Warblers (Geothlypis philadelphia) and implications for population divergence across the breeding range

2015 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 408
Author(s):  
Jay Pitocchelli
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Population Divergence ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Breeding Range ◽  
Song Discrimination ◽  
Song Types ◽  
Song Playback

Geographic variation in song may reduce or eliminate the ability of some populations to recognize each other as conspecifics, possibly leading to assortative mating, reproductive isolation, and speciation. Song playback experiments, used to evaluate the significance of geographic variation in song, have been particularly useful in discovering divergence among previously unknown populations of sibling species. In this study, I report the results of song playback to male Mourning Warblers (Geothlypis philadelphia) from populations throughout the breeding range and discuss the implications for population divergence. Four regions in the breeding range contain unique song types or regiolects: western, eastern, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Results of reciprocal song playback experiments showed that males from the western and Newfoundland regiolects respond more aggressively to songs in their own regiolect than those in the other regiolects. Interior populations, i.e., eastern and Nova Scotia regions, showed little or no difference in aggressive response toward their own versus other regiolects. This pattern may be due to a combination of geographic proximity of populations belonging to different regiolects, song learning, experience, and contact during migration. Song discrimination by populations from the western Prairie Provinces and Newfoundland is consistent with the existence of at least partial reproductive isolation at the geographic extremes of the breeding range.

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