Song parameters, repertoire size, and song sharing within and across age classes in the saffron finch

• Autores: Benitez Saldivar, Maria Juliana; Miño, Carolina Isabel; Massoni, Viviana
• Año de publicación: 2020
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: AGE-RELATED SONG VARIATION; CROSS-SECTIONAL COMPARISONS; LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES; NEOTROPICAL FINCH; SONGBIRD; THRAUPIDAE
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Birds sing mostly to attract partners or to defend territories or resources. In relation to the first function, song can vary with age if older experienced males signal their quality through their vocal output. Regarding the second function, song can also vary with age if singing behavior helps mediate social interactions through repertoire sharing with neighbors. Here, we investigate whether song parameters change with age, and in which direction, in saffron finches Sicalis flaveola pelzelni, obligate secondary cavity nesters which produce elaborate melodious songs and show delayed plumage maturation. Cross‐sectional comparisons revealed that second year (SY) males sing shorter syllables, and shorter and less versatile songs than older after second year males (ASY), as expected if the latter are more experienced singers. Longitudinal comparisons, which better depict age‐related changes, showed that as birds age one year, song length and repertoire size do not change significantly, syllable duration shortens and, as expected for experienced singers, song versatility increases. Correlations between repertoire distance and nesting distance suggest that both SY and ASY males might be adjusting their repertoires to those of ASY neighbors; the former pattern conforms to the expectations if young birds try to emulate the songs of more experienced birds, while the latter is expected if song sharing helps de‐escalating antagonistic social interactions amongst males. This research, which provides the first description of song parameters in young second year saffron finches, expands our knowledge of song variation across age classes in songbirds.
Fil: Benitez Saldivar, Maria Juliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (P). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluación de Recursos Agrícolas y Naturales; Argentina
Fil: Miño, Carolina Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; Argentina
Fil: Massoni, Viviana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina