@article {53424, title = {The buzz segment of Savannah sparrow song is a population marker}, journal = {Journal of Ornithology}, year = {2018}, month = {Mar-12-2018}, abstract = {

Different components of learned birdsongs change at different rates across generations, and the rate of change may correspond to the information carried by each component. To characterize the role of the buzz segment of Savannah sparrow songs, we examined recordings from southeastern Canada and the northeastern US and fully characterized buzz segments in songs recorded from two populations: one on Kent Island, NB, Canada and another in Williamstown, MA, USA. Buzzes varied geographically: Kent Island buzzes had higher mean frequencies and shorter pulse periods than Williamstown buzzes and the differences between the two populations persisted over time. Population-specific buzz characteristics also appeared to be resistant to change. Variants appeared on Kent Island in the late 1980s and were learned by some younger birds; however, these buzz variants disappeared by 2011. We conducted a playback experiment and found that males from both populations had longer responses to local buzzes. Therefore, buzz structure varies geographically; population characteristics of the buzz persist through time despite the introduction of variant forms; and territorial males discriminate between buzzes from different populations. The learned buzz segment of the song may thus serve as a population marker for Savannah sparrows.

}, keywords = {Cultural evolution, dialect, Passerculus sandwichensis, playback, Population, song}, issn = {2193-7192}, doi = {10.1007/s10336-018-1611-7}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10336-018-1611-7}, author = {Williams, Heather and Robins, Clint W. and Newman, Amy E. M. and Freeman-Gallant, Corey R. and Wheelwright, Nathaniel T. and Mennill, Daniel J.} } @article {53411, title = {Context-dependent variation of house finch song syntax}, journal = {Animal Behaviour}, volume = {147}, year = {2019}, month = {Jan-01-2019}, pages = {33 - 42}, abstract = {

We explored the role of social context in the syntactical variation of house finch, Haemorhous mexicanus, songs using both traditional song measures and network analysis. In comparison to solo bouts, the bouts of countersinging males had increased syntax diversity, with higher numbers of simple paths and transition types (but not syllable types) in comparison to solo song, which had high sequence consistency. Both the proportion of introductory syllables and the degree (number of transitions to and from those syllables) increased in countersinging bouts and were an important source of syntactic variability. In contrast, courtship bouts included longer songs and longer syllables than both solo and countersinging bouts, but were similar to solo songs in sequence consistency. The longest courtship songs often included concatenated sequences that formed \‘compound songs\’, or repeating strings of main song syllables, which slightly increased the degree of those syllables. Our results suggest that interactions between males are associated with increased syntactic variability in song delivery while female choice favours signals that maintain species-typical syntax and demonstrate fitness in terms of a male\&$\#$39;s capacity to sing extended songs.

}, keywords = {birdsong, countersinging, courtship, network analysis, sequence consistency, social context, syntax}, issn = {00033472}, doi = {10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.11.001}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347218303373https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218303373?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218303373?httpAccept=text/plain}, author = {Ciaburri, Ivy and Williams, Heather} }