Abstracts » Zoology and wildlife conservation

Territorial responses of male blue tits to simulated dynamic intrusions: Effects of song overlap and intruder location

Article Abstract:

The territorial songbirds frequently challenge each other with intrusions and close ranging singing interactions and the timing of songs in such interactions signal aggressive intentions and experiments show that overlapping may indicate a higher willingness to escalate an interaction than alternating the songs. Playback is used to interact with territorial male blue tits, Purus caeruleus, by varying the amount of overlap of a subject's song and multiple loudspeakers are also used to simulate the intruder changing song posts.

Science & research, Spatial behavior in animals, Animal spatial behavior, Blue tit, Animal spatial behaviour, Bird songs

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Female great tits can identify mates by song

Article Abstract:

Female great tits often leave their nests when they hear their mates' songs. To test whether incubating female great tits are capable of distinguishing their mates' songs, different male great tits' songs were recorded and played back to simulate the 'calling behavior.' Results showed that incubating female great tits only leave their nests after hearing the specific song of their mate.

Birdsongs, Great tit

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Simulated courtship interactions elicit neighbor intrusions in the whitethroat, Sylvia communis

Article Abstract:

An experiment demonstrated that whitethroat courtship interactions unlike song duel interactions frequently elicit intrusion of neighboring males into the territory where the interaction takes place. Conclusions suggest that males might try to constrain a neighbor's detection of their courtship by using quiet vocalizations with short transmission range.

Denmark, Old World warblers

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