Neighbor-stranger discrimination by song in a suboscine bird, the alder flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum

Lovell, Scott F.; Lein, M. Ross

doi:10.1093/beheco/arh082

Cited by 67 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…When a territorial intrusion was simulated by the broadcast of a stranger's song, subject males spent more time moving, approached closer to the loudspeaker and, after a shorter latency, engaged in more pursuits of other birds, and produced more calls compared to the playback of a neighbour's song. Thus, skylark males discriminated neighbours' from strangers' songs and displayed a stronger territorial behaviour towards the latter, as has been observed in numerous bird species, such as the European robin Erithacus rubecula (Brindley, 1991), banded wren Thryothorus pleurostictus (Molles and Vehrencamp, 2001), blue grouse Dendragapus obscurus (Falls and McNicholl, 1979) and alder flycatcher Empidonax alnorum (Lovell and Lein, 2004). 90·s of song (the duration of the songs played back) were sufficient for the birds to differentiate the two categories of songs.…”

Section: P<0001mentioning

confidence: 56%

How to identify dear enemies: the group signature in the complex song of the skylarkAlauda arvensis

Briefer

Aubin

Lehongre

et al. 2008

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYSong geographic variation and Neighbour-Stranger (N-S) discrimination have been intensively but separately studied in bird species, especially in those with small-to medium-sized repertoires. Here, we establish a link between the two phenomena by showing that dialect features are used for N-S recognition in a territorial species with a large repertoire, the skylark Alauda arvensis. In this species, during the breeding season, many pairs settle in stable and adjoining territories gathered in locations spaced by a few kilometres. In a first step, songs produced by males established in different locations were recorded, analyzed and compared to identify possible microgeographic variation at the syntax level. Particular common sequences of syllables (phrases) were found in the songs of all males established in the same location (neighbours), whereas males of different locations (strangers) shared only few syllables and no sequences. In a second step, playback experiments were conducted and provided evidence for N-S discrimination consistent with the dear-enemy effect, i.e. reduced aggression from territorial birds towards neighbours than towards strangers. In addition, a similar response was observed when a ʻchimericʼ signal (shared phrases of the location artificially inserted in the song of a stranger) and a neighbour song were broadcast, indicating that shared sequences were recognized and identified as markers of the group identity. We thus show experimentally that the shared phrases found in the songs of neighbouring birds constitute a group signature used by birds for N-S discrimination, and serve as a basis for the dear-enemy effect.

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Section: P<0001mentioning

confidence: 56%

How to identify dear enemies: the group signature in the complex song of the skylarkAlauda arvensis

Briefer

Aubin

Lehongre

et al. 2008

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Broadcasts continued throughout the nesting season until the final visit to each study site was completed in mid-July. The effect of ongoing broadcasts on nesting in potential colonists was assumed to be negligible, because passerines (including the closely related Alder Flycatcher [Empidonax alnorum]), have been shown to be minimally responsive to the songs of familiar neighbors once territories are established (Lovell and Lein 2004). We installed broadcast systems at least 200 m apart from one another within what field crew members qualitatively assessed as the most appropriate nesting habitat within a meadow, based on soil moisture or inundation, plant species composition, and vegetation structure.…”

Section: Automated Broadcastsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Schofield¹,

Loffland²,

Siegel³

et al. 2018

ACE

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ABSTRACT. Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) populations have been in decline across the western United States for decades. California populations are especially vulnerable with fewer than 500 pairs remaining in the state. Declines and local extirpations continue despite extensive habitat restoration and improved management designed to help conserve Willow Flycatchers. Such efforts may have failed to help reverse these trends in part because Willow Flycatchers rarely recolonize habitat after extirpation, regardless of present habitat suitability. Failure to recolonize habitat may be because prospecting Willow Flycatchers, like many other songbird species, assess habitat suitability based on the presence of conspecifics, making them unlikely to consider unoccupied habitat as potential breeding grounds. If true, broadcasting conspecific vocalizations in suitable but unoccupied habitat could help facilitate recolonization. During the 2016 and 2017 breeding seasons, we assessed the effectiveness of providing artificial social cues as a means of restoring Willow Flycatchers to suitable but unoccupied restored meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. We selected 14 experimental meadows where conspecific songs were broadcast during the settlement and breeding periods and 19 control meadows where no broadcasts took place. All the meadows were recently restored, contain high-quality habitat with hydrological characteristics and vegetation similar to meadows where Sierra Willow Flycatchers successfully breed, and were confirmed to be unoccupied in the year prior to their inclusion in the study. We observed Willow Flycatchers at five of 14 experimental meadows (35.75%) during the breeding season and at one of 19 control meadows (5.3%). We found that habitat characteristics also play a role in the efficacy of this technique, as Willow Flycatcher presence was highly significantly related to the combination of both the experimental treatment and meadow size. These results demonstrate that within large, restored meadows, conspecific broadcasts may be an effective strategy for restoring Willow Flycatchers. Utilisation de la diffusion de chants de conspécifiques pour le rétablissement du Moucherolle des saulesRÉSUMÉ. Les populations de Moucherolles des saules (Empidonax traillii) sont à la baisse dans tout l'ouest des États-Unis depuis des décennies. Les populations californiennes sont particulièrement vulnérables, comptant moins de 500 couples. Les baisses et les disparitions locales se produisent toujours malgré les efforts importants de restauration d'habitat et d'aménagement ciblant la conservation de ces moucherolles. Ces efforts pourraient avoir failli à renverser les tendances, en partie en raison du fait que le Moucherolle des saules recolonise rarement un habitat qu'il a abandonné, sans égard aux conditions actuelles propices. L'échec de la recolonisation d'habitat est peut-être attribuable au fait que les moucherolles qui prospectent, tout comme de nombreuses autres espèces d'oiseaux chanteurs, évaluen...

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“…Relatively little is known about NSD in non-learning bird species. Only a few studies have presented evidence for NSD in grouse (Falls and McNicholl 1979), tyrant flycatchers (Lovell and Lein 2004), shearwaters (Mackin 2005), loons (Mager et al 2010), wood hoopoes (Radford 2005) and owls (Hardouin et al 2006). Furthermore, several researchers have suggested the potential occurrence of NSD based on individually specific call characteristics in non-learners (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

Budka

Osiejuk

2013

J Ornithol

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The acoustic signals of birds are commonly used for individual recognition. Calls or songs allow discrimination between parent and offspring, between mates and between territorial neighbours and strangers. In this study, we investigated vocal neighbour-stranger discrimination in a nocturnally calling rail species, the Corncrake, Crex crex. We conducted interactive playback experiments with 43 males. All males were tested twice on the same night, and their responses to the calls of a familiar neighbour and the calls of an unfamiliar stranger were measured. The Corncrake males responded more aggressively to the playback of a stranger's calls. They approached the speaker more rapidly, spent more time close to the speaker and physically attacked the speaker more frequently. We found no significant differences between the vocal responses to the playback of neighbours' and strangers' calls. Thus, although calling plays an important role in Corncrake territorial interactions, it is only a first line of defence in which males signal aggression towards intruders by calling, similar to singing in passerines. The lack of differences in vocal responses and the presence of clear differences in other behavioural responses demonstrate that the absence of a differential vocal response does not imply the absence of discrimination. Although the individual nature of the Corncrake call has been mentioned in a few previous studies, this study provides the first experimental evidence that Corncrake males indeed use calls for neighbour-stranger discrimination.Notably, because of the Corncrake's dense wet meadow habitat and its tendency to signal at night, it is probable that acoustic individual discrimination in the Corncrake is crucial for making correct decisions during aggressive encounters with rivals.

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Neighbor-stranger discrimination by song in a suboscine bird, the alder flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum

Cited by 67 publications

References 30 publications

How to identify dear enemies: the group signature in the complex song of the skylarkAlauda arvensis

How to identify dear enemies: the group signature in the complex song of the skylarkAlauda arvensis

Using conspecific broadcast for Willow Flycatcher restoration

Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

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