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).

Temporal spacing of broods, brood size, and parental care in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia)

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1007-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
James N. M. Smith ◽  
Derek A. Roff
Keyword(s):  
Brood Size ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Song Sparrow ◽  
Similar Model ◽  
Season Length ◽  
Song Sparrows ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Optimal Brood Size ◽  
Temporal Spacing

This study examines temporal spacing between successive broods of song sparrows on Mandarte Island, British Columbia, Canada. In 1977 and 1978 brood spacing was strongly influenced by the size of the earlier brood. In 1978 only, pairs with more nesting experience were able to renest sooner. Song sparrow females did not begin to incubate a later clutch while caring for more than one fledged young. Triple-brooded females took less time on average from fledging earlier broods to beginning subsequent ones and raised more young per season than females breeding twice.Although large broods delay renesting, a simple model shows that the extra time required to raise large broods does not influence the optimal brood size in Mandarte Island song sparrows. A similar model for the great tit (Parus major) suggests that season length may influence optimal brood size in this species.Clutch size in Mandarte Island song sparrows does not vary consistently within seasons or among years. Reproductive success was uniform for the first two-thirds of the breeding season, but late nests produced few independent young. Clutches of four eggs were most common and produced more young on average than did clutches of three.

Testing the function of song-matching in birds: responses of eastern male song sparrows Melospiza melodia to partial song-matching

Behaviour ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Searcy ◽  
Rindy Anderson ◽  
Stephen Nowicki
Keyword(s):  
Average Distance ◽  
Aggressive Response ◽  
Melospiza Melodia ◽  
Song Sparrow ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Eastern Population ◽  
Partial Matching ◽  
Male Song ◽  
Song Sparrows ◽  
Song Types

AbstractSong-matching has been hypothesized to be a signal of aggressive intentions whereby matching an opponent signals that the singer is likely to attack. Theory predicts that an aggressive signal should impose a cost that enforces the signal's reliability. A receiver-dependent cost imposed by the matched bird's aggressive retaliation has been proposed for song-matching. We tested for such a cost for partial song-matching in an eastern population of song sparrows where males lack the shared song types necessary for song type matching, but can perform partial song-matching using shared song segments. We tested aggressive response, as measured by average distance to a playback speaker, to partial-matching songs and non-matching songs. We predicted a stronger aggressive response to partial-matching songs, as has been shown for whole song-matching in western song sparrow populations. The birds in our study responded no differently to partial-matching and non-matching songs. Neither the distance to the playback speaker nor singing responses differed between playback treatments. Our results do not support a receiver-dependent cost to partial song-matching, as would be expected if partial-matching is a direct threat. Instead, we suggest that partial song-matching functions as a signal of attention.

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).

Great Tit (Parus major)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Gosler ◽  
Peter Clement ◽  
David Christie
Keyword(s):  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit

scholarly journals Anyone listening? No evidence for eavesdropping on male singing interactions in the great tit, Parus major

2021 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Nina Bircher ◽  
Kees van Oers ◽  
Marc Naguib
Keyword(s):  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit

scholarly journals First record of Diplotriaena henryi Blanc, 1919 from the coal tit, Parus ater with new report from the great tit, Parus major in the Middle East

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-241
Author(s):  
I. Mobedi ◽  
M. Sehhatisabet ◽  
E. Razmjou ◽  
S. Shafiei
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
First Record ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Northern Iran ◽  
Coal Tit ◽  
Parus Ater

AbstractSeven males and thirteen female Diplotriaena henryi Blanc 1919 were collected from body cavities (heart, sternum, and chest) of tits (one Parus major and three Parus ater) in plain woodland of Noor, in Northern Iran.

Degradation of Great Tit (Parus Major) Song Before And After Foliation: Implications for Vocal Communication in a Deciduous Forest

Behaviour ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 141 (8) ◽  
pp. 935-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Blumenrath ◽  
Torben Dabelsteen
Keyword(s):  
Information Transfer ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Great Tit ◽  
Transmission Experiment ◽  
Distance Information ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSongbirds living in temperate forests experience great seasonal changes in habitat acoustics during the part of the breeding season when singing activity is high. These changes, which are brought about by accelerated vegetation growth and leaf burst in spring, affect sound propagation and potentially render vocal communication more difficult as the total number of scattering and absorbing obstacles increases. We investigated this in a sound transmission experiment in which representative great tit (Parus major) songs were broadcast in a typical forest habitat before and after foliation. Speaker and microphone were placed at natural separation distances and in typical sender and receiver positions. For each song note we quantified several aspects of sound degradation and found that they all increased considerably when leaves were present. Before foliation the same amount of degradation would only be obtained by doubling the transmission distance, i.e. foliage shortens the active space of great tit song. This inevitably alters distance information, provided that distance-dependent, structural changes of received songs are used as ranging cues. Moreover, sender and receiver positions within the canopy become unfavourable compared to heights just below the canopy when the aim is to maximise song propagation distances. Altogether, the presence of foliage greatly affects the potential for vocal information transfer in great tits and requires behavioural and/or perceptual adjustment of the communicating individuals to counteract or reduce the impact of foliage on signal degradation.

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