02273nas a2200205 4500008004100000245010700041210006900148520160100217653001601818653001801834653002001852653001401872653002901886653001601915653001701931653002901948100002301977700002302000856004402023 2020 eng d00aDoes the presence of an observer affect a bird's occurrence rate or singing rate during a point count?0 aDoes the presence of an observer affect a birds occurrence rate 3 a

The approach or presence of an observer may affect the behavior of nearby birds, rendering them either more or less detectable than when no observer is present due to a change in singing rates. To test whether there are systematic detection biases associated with the presence of an observer during point count bird surveys, we compared the occurrence and singing rates of birds during a 10‐min period immediately preceding the time when an observer arrived to conduct a count and during the formal count itself by extracting song information from autonomous sound recorders. We obtained recordings of 36 species of birds detected at ≥5 locations in one of three vegetation types, including burned conifer forest, green conifer/riparian streamside forest, and riparian bottomland/marshland. We found that species richness and both the probability of occurrence and singing rate for any of the species recorded were unaffected by the presence of an observer. In addition, the probability of occurrence did not differ significantly among four 2.5‐min recording sessions during 10‐min counts when an observer was present. Thus, the presence of an observer did not appear to introduce any detectable systematic bias that would make bird lists or unadjusted occurrence rates inaccurate on that basis alone. In addition, rates of bird occurrence across 2.5‐min temporal subsets of a 10‐min count did not vary in a systematic way that would violate the assumption of equal occupancy across adjacent time periods as sometimes used to build detection histories in occupancy modeling.

10abird survey10adetectability10aobserver effect10aoccupancy10apassive acousticsampling10apoint count10asinging rate10autonomous recording unit1 aHutto, Richard, L.1 aHutto, Russell, R. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/jofo.1232902196nas a2200169 4500008004100000022001300041245010900054210006900163260001600232300001400248490000800262520160500270100002601875700002101901700003701922856006701959 2020 eng d a0003347200aCall production induces motor-driven ZENK response in the song control system of black-capped chickadees0 aCall production induces motordriven ZENK response in the song co cJan-05-2020 a145 - 1530 v1633 a

Imitative vocal learning has now been described in a variety of taxa, but is most extensively studied for birdsong learning. However, songbirds produce a variety of songs and calls that also are learned. For example, black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus, produce a variety of highly complex learned vocalizations that they use in different contexts. The role of the neural song control system, including the HVC and the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA), in the production of chickadee calls is unclear. In this experiment, birds were housed in different conditions to elicit fee-bee songs and gargle, chick-a-dee and tseet calls. The birds were exposed to different stimuli (i.e. a novel live chickadee, a stuffed saw-whet owl, Aegolius acadicus, a mirror, or long-day photoperiods) and their behavioural and vocal responses were recorded. Brains were then processed to label immediate early gene (ZENK) immunoreactivity. In both HVC and RA, the gargle call elicited the most ZENK immunoreactivity. Although the fee-bee song is well established to depend on imitative vocal learning, its production did not induce the most motor-driven ZENK. These findings suggest that activity in the song control system may be more closely correlated with the acoustic complexity of learned vocalizations than with the extent of imitative learning required during development. These findings, and those of earlier studies, indicate that the neural circuit commonly referred to as the ‘song control system’ is better described as a vocal control system for learned vocalizations.

1 aMischler, Shannon, K.1 aKarlin, Emma, J.1 aMacDougall-Shackleton, Scott, A. uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334722030066X02276nas a2200169 4500008004100000245007700041210006900118520152000187653003401707653001201741653001601753653002501769100001701794700001801811700002301829856025401852 2019 eng d00aGreat tits encode contextual information in their food and mobbing calls0 aGreat tits encode contextual information in their food and mobbi3 a

The calling behaviour of Paridae species (i.e. titmice, tits and chickadees) in a predator-related context is well-studied. Parid species are known to alter call types, note composition or call duration according to predation risk. However, how these species encode information about a non-threatening context, such as food sources, has been subject to only few studies. Studies in Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) have shown that this species alters the ratio of C and D notes to encode information about the presence of food and/or the flight behaviour of the signaller. This suggests that parids also use graded signals to encode information about non-predatory contexts. No study to date has directly compared the calls of a feeding context with those of a predation (i.e. mobbing) context. Hence, the aim of this study was to compare the calling behaviour of these two situations in great tits (Parus major). Calls uttered at a feeder were recorded, analysed and compared with calls uttered in front of taxidermy mounts of sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus). In the food context, great tits reduced the number of D notes and increased the number of B, C and E notes compared with the mobbing context. Furthermore, tits produced calls with longer D notes and shorter intervals between D notes than in the mobbing context. This indicates that great tits use two mechanisms of graded signals (i.e. note type and acoustic structure of D calls) to inform conspecifics about the nature of a situation.

10afood-associated vocalizations10amobbing10aParus major10asocial communication1 aKalb, Nadine1 aAnger, Fabian1 aRandler, Christoph uhttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.191210https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.191210https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.191210https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsos.19121001820nas a2200169 4500008004100000022001400041245010900055210006900164260001600233520122700249653002701476653003501503653001701538100001901555700002101574856005501595 2018 eng d a1083-815500aAn increase in song pitch of eastern great tits (Parus minor) in response to urban noise at Seoul, Korea0 aincrease in song pitch of eastern great tits Parus minor in resp cMay-10-20193 a

Anthropogenic noise may mask effective vocal signal transmission by birds, particularly in notes occurring in lower frequencies. Previous studies have shown a correlation of increased urban noise levels, higher minimum frequency, and lowered bandwidth in Great Tit song (Parus major). We therefore studied the effect of urban noise pollution on the song characteristics of the closely related Eastern Great Tit (EGTs, Parus minor) at Hongneung experimental forests (HEFs) in the metropolitan urban of Seoul, Korea. We analysed the song characteristics of breeding territories of EGTS in total 13 individuals recorded including four individuals at high noise group. EGTs singing in noisier locations exhibited higher minimum & maximum frequency, and lower note & strophe length, and higher bandwidth, replicating the different findings of Great Tits. This data also suggests that several individuals at high noise location exhibited a non-typical song type indicative of structural adaptation to higher noise levels. Although the mechanisms of these correlations are as yet undetermined, it is likely that behavioural plasticity may play a role of vocal signal adaption in an increasingly urbanizing Korea.

10abehavioural plasticity10aHongneung experimental forests10aUrbanization1 aLee, Catherine1 aPark, Chan, Ryul uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11252-018-0809-z02163nas a2200145 4500008004100000245011200041210006900153260002000222300001100242490000600253520167400259100002301933700001701956856004401973 2017 eng d00aVocalizing during gaps in anthropogenic noise is an uncommon trait for enhancing communication in songbirds0 aVocalizing during gaps in anthropogenic noise is an uncommon tra cJul-06-20172238 aTLP16D0 v13 a

Mounting evidence suggests that anthropogenic noise negatively impacts many wildlife species, including songbirds. One mechanism by which noise affects songbirds may be through acoustic obstruction to their systems of vocal communication. However, many species increase the amplitude or pitch of their vocalizations, which may partially mitigate the impact of high noise levels. When the amplitude of anthropogenic noise varies over time, such as near a moderate-use highway, short gaps between noise events may also provide an important opportunity for communication. But, whether songbirds adjust vocalization rates rapidly to avoid overlap with noise is unknown for most species. We used acoustic playback to expose songbirds to simulated road noise during the dawn chorus in otherwise quiet habitats. We measured vocalization rates under ambient conditions and during quiet gaps embedded within playback of road noise to assess whether a community of songbirds, and nineteen individual species, vocalize more regularly during noise gaps. There were no significant differences in community-wide acoustic output. Species-specific analysis revealed that only four species altered their vocal rates during quiet gaps in noise, but that the direction of the effect varied by species. Point count results revealed that birds generally remained on site for the duration of the experiment, suggesting that abandonment of noisy locations was unlikely to confound our results. In sum, increasing vocal output during short gaps in noise occurred in only a handful of species, perhaps contributing to the limited number of species that are found within noisy habitats.

1 aProppe, Darren, S.1 aFinch, Emily uhttps://bio.acousti.ca/pt-pt/node/5259700574nas a2200145 4500008004100000245016800041210006900209260001600278300001400294490000800308100001900316700002300335700001500358856005500373 2017 eng d00aVariation in chick-a-dee calls of bridled titmice ( Baeolophus wollweberi): Frequent use of non-combinatorial calls in a combinatorial calling system0 aVariation in ichickadeei calls of bridled titmice iBaeolophus wo cJan-11-2017 a835 - 8420 v1231 aJung, Hwayoung1 aFreeberg, Todd, M.1 aKoenig, W. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-1102963nas a2200193 4500008004100000245012100041210006900162260001600231300001400247490000800261520233300269100001802602700001902620700001802639700001502657700001702672700002602689856005402715 2017 eng d00aAlarm call-based discrimination between common cuckoo and Eurasian sparrowhawk in a Chinese population of great tits0 aAlarm callbased discrimination between common cuckoo and Eurasia cJan-08-2017 a542 - 5500 v1233 a

Morphological resemblance of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus to the Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus has been regarded as an example of predator mimicry. Common hosts could distinguish parasites as the result of coevolution, while rare hosts or non-hosts may mistake cuckoos for hawks because rare hosts or non-hosts behave similarly when faced with these two species. Birds usually produce alarm calls in addition to showing behavioral responses when in danger. However, previous studies of identification by rare hosts or non-hosts of sparrowhawks usually lacked experimental evidence of alarm calls. Great tits Parus major, a rare cuckoo host, perform similar behaviors and usually produce alarm calls in response to sparrowhawks and common cuckoos. Here, we tested whether great tits could distinguish common cuckoo from sparrowhawk based on analysis of their alarm calls and the effects of playback of alarm calls on conspecific behavior. Previous studies showed that great tits have a complex communication system that conveys information about predators, and they could perform different kinds of response behavior to different alarm calls. If great tits have not made the ability to distinguish between common cuckoo and sparrowhawk, then their acoustic responses to these two species and their response behaviors in playback experiments should be similar. Specimens of a common cuckoo (parasite), a sparrowhawk (predator) and an Oriental turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis (harmless control) were used to elicit and subsequently record the response behavior and alarm calls of great tits. There was no significant difference in behavioral response among great tits when exposed to the dummy of cuckoo, sparrowhawk and dove. In contrast, they differed significantly in alarm calls. Great tits produced more notes per call that contained increasing D-type and decreasing I-type notes when responding to sparrowhawk as compared to cuckoo or dove. In playback experiments, we found that great tits responded more strongly to great tit hawk than to great tit cuckoo or great tit dove alarm calls. Our study suggests that great tits are able to distinguish sparrowhawks from common cuckoos and convey relevant information in alarm calls by adjusting the number and combinations of notes of a single call type.

1 aYu, Jiangping1 aXing, Xiaoying1 aJiang, Yunlei1 aLiang, Wei1 aWang, Haitao1 aMøller, Anders, Pape uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-8