Black Jacobin hummingbirds vocalize above the known hearing range of birds

Olson, Christopher R.; Fernández-Vargas, Marcela; Portfors, Christine V.; Mello, Claudio V.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.016

Cited by 7 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Our results suggest that hummingbirds producing HF vocalizations (4,35) have evolved adaptations for the production and perception of HF sounds, which may not be present in other birds. Recently, two independent research groups (36,37) reported on the unusual position of the avian vocal organ, the syrinx, in hummingbirds.…”

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confidence: 77%

High-frequency hearing in a hummingbird

et al. 2020

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Some hummingbirds produce unique high-frequency vocalizations. It remains unknown whether these hummingbirds can hear these sounds, which are produced at frequencies beyond the range at which most birds can hear. Here, we show behavioral and neural evidence of high-frequency hearing in a hummingbird, the Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo). In the field, hummingbirds responded to playback of high-frequency song with changes in body posture and approaching behavior. We assessed neural activation by inducing ZENK expression in the brain auditory areas in response to the high-frequency song. We found higher ZENK expression in the auditory regions of hummingbirds exposed to the high-frequency song compared to controls, while no difference was observed in the hippocampus between groups. The behavioral and neural responses show that this hummingbird can hear sounds at high frequencies. This is the first evidence of the use of high-frequency vocalizations and high-frequency hearing in conspecific communication in a bird.

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confidence: 77%

High-frequency hearing in a hummingbird

et al. 2020

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“…Considering the enormous fundamental frequency range (1.5 to 10 kHz; i.e. two to three octaves) that hummingbird vocalizations cover [4][5][6]10,11 , it is very likely that the proposed function for muscle 1, i.e. modify labia tension (Table 2), bears some similarity to an equivalent muscle in the oscine syrinx.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Acoustic communication requires a sound production mechanism that is congruent with a species' hearing ability, acoustic environment and physical capability 9 . The occurrence of vocalizations with exceptionally high fundamental frequency (F 0 ) in some hummingbirds [10][11][12] reveals that the hummingbird lineage has vocal abilities that occur outside those of other avian taxa. The hummingbird syrinx possesses a more complex anatomy than closely related taxa such as swifts or oilbirds 13 .…”

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The vocal organ of hummingbirds shows convergence with songbirds

Riede

Olson

2020

Sci Rep

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among these very closely related species may be reflected in their peripheral vocal organs. Here we show that recent speciation includes divergence in the anatomy of their vocal organs. Methods Animals. We investigated syrinx histology and morphology in Anna's hummingbirds (ANHU, Calypte anna), Costa's hummingbirds (COHU, C. costae), rufous hummingbirds (RUHU, Selasphorus rufus), and black-chinned hummingbirds (BCHU, Archilochus alexandri) for a total of 18 hummingbirds. A summary of species and sex is provided in Supplementary Table 1. A single male ANHU was salvaged immediately following a window collision and used for whole-body microCT imaging (Fig. 1c,d), and a separate group of ANHUs were used for vocal recording (N = 3) and not used for histological or morphological comparisons. We captured all four species in Cochise, Pima, Maricopa, Gila and Coconino Counties (Arizona) during the months of June-August of 2016-2017 under permits from the Arizona Department of Game and Fish and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. All procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA (IACUC Nos. 2818 and 2892) following established guidelines for use of wild birds in research 30 .

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“…Among avian vocal learners, hummingbirds are the most basal taxon and phylogenetically distant from parrots and songbirds [6,8,27,28], and the only group in which not all species have the ability of vocal learning [8,29]. The acoustic features of their vocalizations vary substantially within the group [30,31], ranging from simple vocalizations to acoustic performances that are above the known perceptual limits of birds [32,33]. Currently, we lack a detailed description of the hummingbird syrinx in basal clades and, therefore, insights into the biomechanics of hummingbirds' peculiar vocalizations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hummingbird syrinx morphome: a detailed three-dimensional description of the black jacobin’s vocal organ

Monte¹,

Cerwenka²,

Ruthensteiner³

et al. 2020

BMC Zool

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Background The ability to imitate sounds depends on a process called vocal production learning, a rare evolutionary trait. In addition to the few mammalian groups that possess this ability, vocal production learning has evolved independently in three avian clades: songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds. Although the anatomy and mechanisms of sound production in songbirds are well understood, little is known about the hummingbird’s vocal anatomy. Results We use high-resolution micro-computed tomography (μCT) and microdissection to reveal the three-dimensional structure of the syrinx, the vocal organ of the black jacobin (Florisuga fusca), a phylogenetically basal hummingbird species. We identify three features of the black jacobin’s syrinx: (i) a shift in the position of the syrinx to the outside of the thoracic cavity and the related loss of the sterno-tracheal muscle, (ii) complex intrinsic musculature, oriented dorso-ventrally, and (iii) ossicles embedded in the medial vibratory membranes. Conclusions The extra-thoracic placement of the black jacobin’s syrinx and the dorso-ventrally oriented musculature likely aid to uncoupling syrinx movements from extensive flight-related thorax constraints. The syrinx morphology further allows for vibratory decoupling, precise control of complex acoustic parameters, and a large motor redundancy that may be key biomechanical factors leading to acoustic complexity and thus facilitating the occurrence of vocal production learning.

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Black Jacobin hummingbirds vocalize above the known hearing range of birds

Abstract: In this article, the surname of the second author, Marcela Ferná ndez-Vargas, was mistakenly listed as ''Fernandez-Peters.'' Dr. Ferná ndez-Vargas's name has now been corrected in the article online. The authors apologize for the error.

Cited by 7 publications

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High-frequency hearing in a hummingbird

High-frequency hearing in a hummingbird

The vocal organ of hummingbirds shows convergence with songbirds

The hummingbird syrinx morphome: a detailed three-dimensional description of the black jacobin’s vocal organ

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