Geographic variation in the calls of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus): isolation by distance and divergence among subspecies

Wei, Chunzhu; Jia, Chenxi; Dong, Lü; Wang, Daiping; Xia, Canwei; Zhang, Yanyun; Liang, Wei

doi:10.1007/s10336-014-1153-6

Cited by 27 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Variation among subspecies Wei et al 2015). Because there is evidence that learning has little influence on the development of vocalizations of suboscine birds (Touchton et al 2014), vocal variation among Great Antshrike populations could not be attributed to learning deviations or any cultural factor among populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation among vocalizations ofTaraba major(Aves: Thamnophilidae) subspecies

Sementili‐Cardoso

Rodrigues

Martins

et al. 2017

Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment

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Geographical variation of bird vocalizations may be related to factors influencing sound production and sound propagation. If birds, e.g. the Great Antshrike (Taraba major), produce vocalizations that develop normally in the absence of learning, these variations may reflect evolutionary divergence within species. In this case, vocal variation could be influenced by habitat structure, since abiotic features and vegetal cover affect sound propagation through environment. Selective pressures may be acting on populations in different ways, which could culminate in a process of speciation. Thus, we searched for structural variation of Great Antshrike vocalizations between subspecies and sought for relationships between these vocal variation and environmental structure. We found variations in frequency and time features of vocalizations among subspecies, which are correlated to latitude, elevation and climate. We also observed an increase in vocal differences along with an increase in distances between individuals, which could reflect isolation of subspecies and the vocal adaptation to different environments. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation among vocalizations ofTaraba major(Aves: Thamnophilidae) subspecies

Sementili‐Cardoso

Rodrigues

Martins

et al. 2017

Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment

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“…Despite the three‐element calls having previously been quantitatively described by Lei et al (), this call type has been omitted as abnormal calls in other studies (e.g., Wei et al, ). Historically, this three‐element call type was considered to be associated with female “bubbling” calls (Lei et al, ; Payne, ), but there has been no empirical study to support this suggestion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the three-element calls having previously been quantitatively described by Lei et al (2005), this call type has been omitted as abnormal calls in other studies (e.g., Wei et al, 2015).…”

Section: Is the Male "Cu-cu-coo" Call Associated With Female Activity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The function of three main call types in common cuckoo

et al. 2019

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Acoustic signals play a key role in shaping the relationships in birds. Common cuckoos Cuculus canorus are known to produce various call types, but the function of these calls has only been studied recently. Here, we used a combination of field recordings (conducted in 2017) and playback experiments (conducted in 2018) to investigate the functional significance of common cuckoo calls. We found significant differences in the characteristics between male two‐element “cu‐coo” and three‐element “cu‐cu‐coo” calls, with these two call types being used in different contexts. The three‐element male “cu‐cu‐coo” calls were associated with females emitting their “bubbling” call. Playback experiments revealed that both males and females exhibit stronger responses to playing female “bubbling” calls than with the calls of the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipter nisus) serving as a control, suggesting a significant intraspecific communication function for this call type. However, we did not find any evidence to support mate attraction in male calls, as females were not stimulated by playback of male calls compared with sparrowhawk calls in the control group.

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“…; Lovell & Lein ; Wei et al . ; Sementili‐Cardoso et al . ), and could discriminate subspecies of B. cinerea complex.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocal divergence between two disjunct populations of Giant Antshrike (Batara cinerea) is related to environmental conditions

Sementili‐Cardoso

Donatelli

2018

Austral Ecology

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Variation in the avian vocal signals emitted may have a significant impact on species evolution. Vocal divergence in suboscine species like Giant Antshrike (Batara cinerea) may be associated with selective adaptation, since learning has little influence on vocal development and variation in acoustic structure cannot be attributed to learning deviation. Consequently, tracheophone suboscine species are ideal subjects to explore vocal variation, since cultural evolution does not seem to influence vocal variation in this group. Environmental conditions may determine the selection of vocal features because acoustic transmission could be attenuated under certain conditions of temperature, humidity and vegetation cover. Here, we examined vocalizations of Giant Antshrike and assessed possible acoustic variations between two disjunct groups (Andean and Atlantic), correlating the differences to the environmental structure. Univariate and multivariate analysis show temporal and spectral differences between both groups. Andean individuals produce vocalizations with longer duration, faster trill rates, shorter syllable duration and higher frequencies. Environmental features are different between the two populations, and they are correlated to the acoustic structure of vocalizations. Temporal variations arise directly from climatic influence, while spectral divergence could be a secondary effect of morphological adaptation to habitat structure.

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Geographic variation in the calls of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus): isolation by distance and divergence among subspecies

Cited by 27 publications

References 22 publications

Variation among vocalizations ofTaraba major(Aves: Thamnophilidae) subspecies

Variation among vocalizations ofTaraba major(Aves: Thamnophilidae) subspecies

The function of three main call types in common cuckoo

Vocal divergence between two disjunct populations of Giant Antshrike (Batara cinerea) is related to environmental conditions

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