Female calling? Song responses to conspecific call playbacks in nightingales, Luscinia megarhynchos

Kipper, Silke; Kiefer, Sarah M.; Bartsch, Conny; Weiss, Michael N.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.11.011

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Sex differences in call and song structure may be subtle. For example, playback experiments have revealed that females and males can distinguish one another's calls (Kipper et al ., 2015) and songs (Mulder et al ., 2003), even in cases in which structural differences were not apparent to researchers. Human hearing and perception of bird songs and calls can be very different from those of the birds themselves (Dooling & Prior, 2017), and so examining the structure of vocalisations in fine detail, and using experiments to ‘ask’ study species themselves about sex differences in vocalisations, can be essential in furthering our understanding of the function of female vocalisations.…”

Section: Female Versus Male Vocalisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian vocalisations: the female perspective

et al. 2021

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Research on avian vocalisations has traditionally focused on male song produced by oscine passerines. However, accumulating evidence indicates that complex vocalisations can readily evolve outside the traditional contexts of mate attraction and territory defence by male birds, and yet the previous bias towards male song has shaped – and continues to shape – our understanding of avian communication as a whole. Accordingly, in this review we seek to address this imbalance by synthesising studies on female vocalisations from across signalling contexts throughout the Aves, and discuss the implications of recent empirical advances for our understanding of vocalisations in both sexes. This review reveals great structural and functional diversity among female vocalisations and highlights the important roles that vocalisations can play in mediating female‐specific behaviours. However, fundamental gaps remain. While there are now several case studies that identify the function of female vocalisations, few quantify the associated fitness benefits. Additionally, very little is known about the role of vocal learning in the development of female vocalisations. Thus, there remains a pressing need to examine the function and development of all forms of vocalisations in female birds. In the light of what we now know about the functions and mechanisms of female vocalisations, we suggest that conventional male‐biased definitions of songs and calls are inadequate for furthering our understanding of avian vocal communication more generally. Therefore, we propose two simple alternatives, both emancipated from the sex of the singer. The first distinguishes song from calls functionally as a sexually selected vocal signal, whilst the second distinguishes them mechanistically in terms of their underlying neurological processes. It is clear that more investigations are needed into the ultimate and proximate causes of female vocalisations; however, these are essential if we are to develop a holistic epistemology of avian vocal communication in both sexes, across ecological contexts and taxonomic divides.

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Section: Female Versus Male Vocalisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian vocalisations: the female perspective

et al. 2021

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“…These parameters have been used as proxy for female song preferences before (Baker 1983;Caro et al 2010;Weiss et al 2012). Also, we counted the number of vocalizations emitted by females (e.g., short calls like ''huit'' and ''karr'', Glutz von Blotzheim and Bauer 1989; Kipper et al 2014) during each treatment to further evaluate female song responsiveness. As each treatment was played twice, the values for response measures were summed.…”

Section: Female Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is the whistle all about? A study on whistle songs, related male characteristics, and female song preferences in common nightingales

et al. 2015

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In many passerine species certain song structures have evolved to convey information to conspecific males or females. For example, in the common nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos, the 'whistle part' is a striking acoustic feature of some song types. Whistle songs have been suspected to be particularly well suited to attract females and/or to be important during female choice, but this has never been tested directly. In this study, we used a two-pronged approach for addressing the function of whistle songs in intersexual communication. First, we analysed relationships between whistle song features and male characteristics reflecting overall male quality. We found that the number of whistle songs produced and acoustic consistency of single whistle elements predicted male body measures, i.e., males who sang more whistle songs were heavier and larger, and produced whistle elements with higher consistency. Second, we conducted playback experiments with females either with or without whistle songs. Females responded more strongly to whistle songs by moving and vocalizing more during the whistle playback. We conclude that whistle songs might play an important role in nightingale mating, as they evoke high arousal in females, and different whistle song features may signal different aspects of male quality to females. oder aber gar keine Pfeifstrophen enthielten. Dabei reagierten die Weibchen eindeutig stärker auf die Gesänge mit hohem Pfeifstrophenanteil. Aufgrund dieser Befunde kommen wir zu der Schlussfolgerung, dass der Pfeifstrophengesang der Nachtigall in der Tat eine wichtige Rolle in Verpaarungskontexten übernimmt, da er zum einen stimulierend auf die Weibchen wirkt und zum anderen als Indikator für diverse Qualitätsaspekte der Männchen fungieren kann.

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“…wrens Thryothorus pleurostictus, Illes and Yunes-Jimenez, 2009). Moreover, sex differences in song go far beyond what might be needed to aid sex recognition (which can also be achieved with simple calls, see e.g., Mouterde et al, 2014;Kipper et al, 2015). Identical functions of song and sexual differentiation of song solely for sex recognition therefore seems a poor and unlikely general explanation for the vast differences in quantity, quality and context that can be found between male and female song (Langmore, 1998;Hall, 2004).…”

Section: The Study Of Learning Mechanisms Can Help Elucidate Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Sex Differences in Form and Function of Bird Song: The Importance of Studying Song Learning Processes

Riebel

2016

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Female calling? Song responses to conspecific call playbacks in nightingales, Luscinia megarhynchos

Cited by 15 publications

References 52 publications

Avian vocalisations: the female perspective

Avian vocalisations: the female perspective

What is the whistle all about? A study on whistle songs, related male characteristics, and female song preferences in common nightingales

Understanding Sex Differences in Form and Function of Bird Song: The Importance of Studying Song Learning Processes

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