Zoo-bred female birds prefer songs of zoo-bred males: Implications for adaptive management of reintroduction programs

Appleby, Daniel L.; Tripovich, Joy S.; Langmore, Naomi E.; Heinsohn, Robert; Pitcher, Benjamin J.; Crates, Ross

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110171

Cited by 3 publications

References 42 publications

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Frequency-dependence may moderate fitness costs linked to reduced bird song complexity

Appleby,

Langmore,

Heinsohn

et al. 2024

R. Soc. Open Sci.

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Animal cultures can undergo rapid changes associated with innovations, revolutions or population decline. Where a rapid shift results in reduced complexity of cultural behaviours, it may have fitness consequences for individuals. Here, we report a dramatic shift in the dominant song type of critically endangered wild regent honeyeaters Anthochaera phrygia . Between 2015 and 2019, most males in the Blue Mountains sang a typical regent honeyeater song (typical Blue Mountains song), but 5%–10% sang an abbreviated version of the song with half the number of syllables (the clipped Blue Mountains song), which was associated with lower pairing success. Since 2020, the proportion of males singing the clipped Blue Mountains song has increased to 50%–75% each year. The likelihood of successful pairing in these males showed a significant concomitant increase, suggesting that the fitness costs associated with the abbreviated song decreased as it became the dominant song type. Our results suggest that the fitness consequences of loss of song complexity in declining and fragmented populations may be ameliorated by frequency-dependent shifts in song type preference.

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Frequency-dependence may moderate fitness costs linked to reduced bird song complexity

Appleby,

Langmore,

Heinsohn

et al. 2024

R. Soc. Open Sci.

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Reintroduction of wild song culture to a critically endangered songbird

Appleby,

Langmore,

Pitcher

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Animal cultures are learned behaviors, traditions, and collective knowledge maintained within populations through social learning. Global biodiversity decline threatens the preservation of animal culture in small, sparsely distributed populations, making its conservation increasingly important. The Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia), an Australian songbird, faces such a steep decline that its song culture is disappearing in the wild. Reintroduced, zoo-bred males sing songs that differ from wild birds, creating a cultural barrier potentially impacting their fitness after release. Over three breeding seasons, we conducted adaptive song tutoring, using both song broadcasts and live tutoring from two wild-origin males to teach zoo-bred juveniles the wild song. The proportion of juveniles that learned the song increased from 0 before the experiment to 42% after three years, with the entire population predicted to adopt the wild song within two years. During the experiment, the full version of the wild song disappeared from the wild, making the zoo population the only remaining repository of traditional song culture. Using just two wild founders, we show how animal cultures can be restored in ex-situ populations with simple husbandry modifications. Ex-situ populations can then play critical roles in maintaining and restoring wild animal cultures through reintroductions.

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Behavioural ethogram to inform ex-situ initiatives for a critically endangered bird – the case of the Plains-wanderer

Van Sluys,

Pauligk,

Burns

et al. 2024

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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A thorough understanding of behaviour is essential to a species recovery effort, not only to inform management and husbandry decisions, but critically, to ensure optimum survival of released animals and their offspring. The endangered Plains-wanderer, endemic to Australia and the only extant member of its family, is a bird of great conservation significance. Despite their phylogenetic uniqueness and conservation status, very little is known about their basic behavioural ecology. As part of the National Recovery efforts, an ex-situ breeding program was established to create an insurance population with the aim of releasing zoo-bred birds into their natural range. Such programs provide unique opportunities to conduct detailed behavioural and ecological studies. However, such studies are dependent on a comprehensive understanding of basic behaviour and associated social interactions, as well as a common vocabulary across institutions when it comes to describing patterns of behaviour. Therefore, a detailed ethogram is a vital first step. Here we have collated initial behavioural observations and descriptions from three main breeding institutions to create a unified ethogram across sites, with the aim of facilitating future research endeavours. Ultimately a systematic understanding of behaviour will not only improve management and conservation initiatives, but also the understanding of adaptability to potential threats going forward.

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Zoo-bred female birds prefer songs of zoo-bred males: Implications for adaptive management of reintroduction programs

Cited by 3 publications

References 42 publications

Frequency-dependence may moderate fitness costs linked to reduced bird song complexity

Frequency-dependence may moderate fitness costs linked to reduced bird song complexity

Reintroduction of wild song culture to a critically endangered songbird

Behavioural ethogram to inform ex-situ initiatives for a critically endangered bird – the case of the Plains-wanderer

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