Females alter their song when challenged in a sex-role reversed bird species |
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Authors: | Nicole Geberzahn Wolfgang Goymann Christina Muck Carel ten Cate |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Biology, Behavioural Biology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9505, 2300, RA, Leiden, The Netherlands;(2) Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 6a, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany |
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Abstract: | Birdsong serves to attract mates and to deter territorial rivals. Even though song is not restricted to males, this dual function
has almost exclusively been demonstrated for male song. To test the generality of hypotheses on birdsong, we investigated
female song in the sex-role reversed, classically polyandrous African black coucal (Centropus grillii) in the context of female–female competition. We compared spontaneously vocalizing females with females vocally responding
to a playback simulating a conspecific intruder. Females changed vocal parameters in response to playbacks: They lowered the
pitch of their vocalizations and enhanced the duration of song elements when being challenged. Also, the composition of the
vocalizations was altered. There was no significant correlation between pitch and body size parameters in spontaneous song,
but there was for response songs, with larger females having a lower pitch. These changes in vocal properties suggest that
the vocalizations are important for mutual assessment of competitive abilities in females. Our findings confirm the general
role of intrasexual competition in vocal communication of birds. |
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