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Auditory feedback is necessary for long-term maintenance of high-frequency sound syllables in the song of adult male budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

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Abstract

Among avian species that communicate using vocalization, songbirds (oscine Passeriformes), hummingbirds (Trochiliformes), and parrots (Psittaciformes) are vocal learners. Early studies showed that songbirds require auditory feedback for song development in young and maintenance in adults. To determine whether auditory feedback is also necessary for adult song maintenance in non-passerine species, we deprived adult male budgerigars (Psittaciformes) of auditory input by surgical cochlear removal. Songs of the deafened birds changed within 6 months after auditory deprivation. In postoperative songs, high narrowband syllables, which comprised frequency-modulated narrowband elements with relatively high fundamental frequencies of 2–4 kHz, decreased significantly. High harmonic broadband syllables, with fundamental frequencies ≥2 kHz, also decreased. The altered proportions of syllables were subsequently retained, and maintained 12 months after deafening. The sequence linearity score, a parameter representing the stereotypy of the syllable sequence, was higher than that before deafening. The inter-syllable silence was prolonged. Little change was observed in the songs of intact and sham-operated birds. The significant decrease in high-frequency syllables and song alteration followed by stabilization resembled the results with songbirds, although song stabilization took a long time in budgerigars. Therefore, our results suggest that psittacine budgerigars and oscine songbirds require auditory feedback similarly for adult song maintenance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Japan Women’s University Prize for Academic Excellence. We thank Drs. H. Sakaguchi, K. Aoki, R. Li, S. Nagata and R. Imaichi for their helpful comments. Y. Yoshida, Y. Yoshimatsu and N. Nakahara helped us for song analysis, and J. Kushner for improving the manuscript. This experiment was complied with the “Principles of animal care”, publication No. 86–23, revised 1985 of the National Institute of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Japan Women’s University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan

    Aiko Watanabe, Hiroko Eda-Fujiwara & Takeji Kimura

  2. Laboratory for Vocal Behavior Mechanisms, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, 2-1 Hirosawa, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan

    Aiko Watanabe

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  1. Aiko Watanabe
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  2. Hiroko Eda-Fujiwara
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  3. Takeji Kimura
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Correspondence to Aiko Watanabe.

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Watanabe, A., Eda-Fujiwara, H. & Kimura, T. Auditory feedback is necessary for long-term maintenance of high-frequency sound syllables in the song of adult male budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). J Comp Physiol A 193, 81–97 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-006-0173-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-006-0173-y

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