Call Imitation and Call Modification in Red Crossbills

Keenan, Patrick C.

doi:10.1525/cond.2008.110.1.93

Cited by 16 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Early call learning from family members may facilitate family cohesion and concurrently ensure that discrete contact call variants reliably reflect ecomorph, permitting calls to mediate assortment based on ecological specializations and genetic background. The present work, in conjunction with previous studies showing that crossbills maintain and assort by discrete contact call variants in adulthood (Smith and Benkman 2007; Summers et al 2007; Keenan and Benkman 2008; Sewall 2009; Sewall and Hahn 2009), supports the role of contact call variants as cultural isolating mechanisms in red crossbills.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Discrete contact call variants are well positioned to serve as cultural isolating mechanisms in crossbills because they are the most conspicuous difference among ecomorphs (Fig. 1), they mediate the assortment of foraging flocks and breeding pairs (Adkisson 1996; Smith et al 1999; Smith and Benkman 2007; Summers et al 2007; Sewall and Hahn 2009), and adult birds rarely change the call variant that they produce (one of 79 wild adult crossbills changed call variant over more than one year (Keenan and Benkman 2008); none of 42 captive adult crossbills changed call variant over 2 years (Sewall 2009)). However, for discrete contact call variants to serve as cultural isolating mechanisms, young birds would have to initially learn the call variant appropriate for their lineage from members of their family or natal group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, field observations show that young crossbills produce calls that are more similar to those of their parents than to those of other birds living in the area (Keenan and Benkman 2008). However, it is not clear how the developmental mechanisms of vocal learning direct the acquisition of call variants by young birds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early learning of discrete call variants in red crossbills: implications for reliable signaling

Sewall

2010

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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The identification of appropriate companions and mates is essential to both speciation and the maintenance of species through prezygotic isolation. In many birds, social assortment is mediated by vocalizations learned through imitation. When imitative vocal learning occurs throughout life, emergent shared signals reflect current social associations. However, when vocal and genetic variation arises among populations, shared learned signal variants have a potential to reflect cultural or genetic origin and to limit social and reproductive intermixing, provided that signal learning occurs prior to dispersal. The red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a bird species in which discrete contact call variants are associated with morphological variation, raising the possibility that learned calls play a role in limiting intermixing. I examined the process of early call learning to determine if contact call variants have a potential to limit intermixing in crossbills. I conducted a captive playback study to nestlings to evaluate potential learning predispositions. I also cross-fostered nestlings to adoptive adult pairs of either their own or a different call variant than their biological parents to assess the degree of vocal learning plasticity. Results show that young crossbills imitate the call structures of adoptive parents, generating shared family-specific calls, which could facilitate family cohesion. Learning processes that generate family-specific calls could also ensure that discrete call variants are transmitted across generations, making call variants reliable signals of crossbills’ morphological and genetic backgrounds.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early learning of discrete call variants in red crossbills: implications for reliable signaling

Sewall

2010

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…Other hypotheses have been proposed for call sharing including the mate attraction and pair-bonding (Hile et al 2000; Moravec et al 2006; Keenan and Benkman 2008; Sewall 2009; Moravec and Striedter 2010) and group cohesion (Brown 1985; Bradbury et al 2001; Yurk et al 2002) hypotheses. The mate attraction and pair-bonding hypothesis is specific to mated pairs and suggests that the process of convergence or imitation can have two effects on pair bond formation: (1) it may help reinforce social bonds, and (2) it may enhance individual recognition of one's mate (Hile et al 2000; Moravec et al 2006; Keenan and Benkman 2008; Sewall 2009; Moravec and Striedter 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mate attraction and pair-bonding hypothesis is specific to mated pairs and suggests that the process of convergence or imitation can have two effects on pair bond formation: (1) it may help reinforce social bonds, and (2) it may enhance individual recognition of one's mate (Hile et al 2000; Moravec et al 2006; Keenan and Benkman 2008; Sewall 2009; Moravec and Striedter 2010). The mate attraction and pair-bonding hypothesis thus is not relevant for single-sex groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A test of multiple hypotheses for the function of call sharing in female budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus

Dahlin

Young

Cordier

et al. 2013

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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In many social species group, members share acoustically similar calls. Functional hypotheses have been proposed for call sharing, but previous studies have been limited by an inability to distinguish among these hypotheses. We examined the function of vocal sharing in female budgerigars with a two-part experimental design that allowed us to distinguish between two functional hypotheses. The social association hypothesis proposes that shared calls help animals mediate affiliative and aggressive interactions, while the password hypothesis proposes that shared calls allow animals to distinguish group identity and exclude nonmembers. We also tested the labeling hypothesis, a mechanistic explanation which proposes that shared calls are used to address specific individuals within the sender–receiver relationship. We tested the social association hypothesis by creating four–member flocks of unfamiliar female budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) and then monitoring the birds’ calls, social behaviors, and stress levels via fecal glucocorticoid metabolites. We tested the password hypothesis by moving immigrants into established social groups. To test the labeling hypothesis, we conducted additional recording sessions in which individuals were paired with different group members. The social association hypothesis was supported by the development of multiple shared call types in each cage and a correlation between the number of shared call types and the number of aggressive interactions between pairs of birds. We also found support for calls serving as a labeling mechanism using discriminant function analysis with a permutation procedure. Our results did not support the password hypothesis, as there was no difference in stress or directed behaviors between immigrant and control birds.

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Social experience modifies behavioural responsiveness to a preferred vocal signal in red crossbills, Loxia curvirostra

Sewall

Hahn

2009

Animal Behaviour

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Call Imitation and Call Modification in Red Crossbills

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Early learning of discrete call variants in red crossbills: implications for reliable signaling

Early learning of discrete call variants in red crossbills: implications for reliable signaling

A test of multiple hypotheses for the function of call sharing in female budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus

Social experience modifies behavioural responsiveness to a preferred vocal signal in red crossbills, Loxia curvirostra

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