Abstract
Empirical descriptions of vocal behaviour are important for understanding avian biology. In this study, we provide the first detailed analysis of the vocal behaviour of the Brown-throated Wren (Troglodytes brunneicollis), a neotropical songbird found in oak forests in the highlands of Mexico and the southwestern United States. We quantify the fine structural characteristics of the song, and describe the size and structure of the song repertoire. Further, we describe diel variation, analyze song-sharing patterns among neighbors, and explore whether this species uses syntactical rules for creating their songs. Our analyses reveal that Brown-throated Wrens have complex songs and simple calls. They sing with eventual variety, repeating songs many times before switching to a new song type. Males combine syllables into phrases to create songs. We show that song repertoire size is not fixed; birds recombine their syllables to produce highly variable song types. Brown-throated Wrens sing with high vocal output after sunrise and song activity declines throughout the morning. Song sharing shows no variation with distance among our sampled individuals. We divide the syllables in Brown-throated Wren songs into 13 categories; birds sing some syllables more frequently than others, and some syllables are more likely to be found at the beginning, middle, or end of the song. Transitions between syllable categories deviate significantly from random chance, and most males analyzed follow similar patterns of syllable transitions, revealing syntactical structure. This research, which provides the first empirical study of Brown-throated Wren song, expands our knowledge of the behaviour of this poorly-studied taxon, and contributes insight into the organization and composition of song in tropical birds.
Zusammenfassung
Das Gesangsverhalten des Braunkehl-Zaunkönigs ( Troglodytes brunneicollis ): Gesangsstruktur, Repertoire, Syntax und tageszeitliche Variationen
Empirische Erhebungen des Gesangsverhaltens sind sehr wichtig für das Verständnis der Biologie von Vögeln. Mit dieser Studie legen wir die erste detaillierte Analyse des Gesangsverhaltens des Braunkehl-Zaunkönigs (Troglodytes brunneicollis) vor, eines neotropischen Singvogels aus den Eichenwäldern des mexikanischen Hochlands und des Südwesten der USA. Wir quantifizieren die Feinstruktur der Gesangsmerkmale und beschreiben Größe und Struktur des Repertoires. Ferner beschreiben wir tageszeitliche Variationen und Gemeinsamkeiten im Gesang von Reviernachbarn und untersuchen, ob diese Art bei der Ausprägung ihrer Gesänge Syntax-Regeln folgt. Unsere Analysen zeigen, dass Braunkehl-Zaunkönige sowohl einfache Rufe als auch komplexe Gesänge besitzen. Sie singen mit nur gelegentlichen Variationen, wobei sie ein Gesangselement oft wiederholen, bevor sie zu einem neuen überleiten. Bei der Zusammenstellung neuer Gesänge kombinieren die Männchen einzelne Tonsilben zu Phrasen. Wir zeigen, dass die Repertoire-Größe nicht festgelegt ist; die Vögel setzen ihre Tonsilben zu immer neuen Gesangstypen zusammen. Die Braunkehl-Zaunkönige haben direkt nach dem Sonnenaufgang eine sehr hohe Gesangsproduktion, die im Laufe des Morgens dann nachlässt. Gemeinsamkeiten im Gesang von Nachbarn erwiesen bei unserer Stichprobe keine besonderen Variationen mit wachsendem Revierabstand. Wir teilen die Tonsilben in 13 Kategorien ein; die Vögel singen manche Tonsilben häufiger als andere, und einige Silben treten jeweils eher am Anfang, in der Mitte oder am Ende eines Gesangs auf. Die Übergänge zwischen den einzelnen Kategorien sind signifikant nicht zufallsverteilt, die meisten der untersuchten Männchen folgen ähnlichen Übergangsmustern, was auf eine syntaktische Strukturierung hinweist. Dies ist die erste empirische Untersuchung des Gesangs von Braunkehl-Zaunkönigen; sie erweitert unser Wissen vom Verhalten dieser nur wenig untersuchten Art und bietet weitere Einsichten in die Organisation und Zusammensetzung der Gesänge tropischer Singvögel.
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Acknowledgments
We thank O. Rojas-Soto and A. Gordillo for logistical support. We thank A. Vargas, J. Calderón, and M. Ortiz for field assistance, and M. Watson for sound analysis assistance. We thank G. Budney and the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds for loaning us recording equipment. We thank O. Rojas-Soto for assistance with permits for mist netting birds. This paper was improved by comments from D. Wilson, L. Sandoval, T. Friedl, and two anonymous reviewers. For funding, we thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), Secretaría de Educación Publica de México (SEP), and the University of Windsor for scholarship support to J.R.S.-L., and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Government of Ontario for grants to D.J.M.
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Communicated by T. Friedl.
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Sosa-López, J.R., Mennill, D.J. The vocal behavior of the Brown-throated Wren (Troglodytes brunneicollis): song structure, repertoires, sharing, syntax, and diel variation. J Ornithol 155, 435–446 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-1024-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-1024-6