Song amplitude and body size in birds |
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Authors: | Henrik Brumm |
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Institution: | 1.AG Verhaltensbiologie, Institut für Biologie,Freie Universit?t Berlin,Berlin,Germany;2.School of Biology, Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences,University of St Andrews,St Andrews,UK;3.Communication and Social Behaviour Group,Max Planck Institute for Ornithology,Seewiesen,Germany |
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Abstract: | Bird song is a sexually selected multidimensional signal. A fundamental question regarding the evolution of sexually selected
signals is what information they convey and how their honesty is maintained. Song amplitude is a performance-related signal
trait that varies considerably between individuals, but this signal dimension has been neglected in past studies. I found
that median song amplitude in male nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) did not vary significantly with body size or residual body mass. In contrast, I found a significant negative correlation
between body size (and also residual mass) and the maximum song amplitude during interactive singing in nightingales. However,
the function of these more subtle differences in song amplitude remains to be investigated. By and large, the results of this
study suggest that mean song amplitude is unlikely to indicate a bird’s body size or current condition (measured as residual
mass). |
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Keywords: | Animal communication Bird song Honest signalling Performance-related trait Signal evolution Song amplitude |
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