Song playback initiates nest building during clutch overlap in mockingbirds, Mimus polyglottos. Animal Behavior, 1990, 39, 943-953. (with L. Hyatt and L. Gregorcyk) (original) (raw)
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Reproductively dependent song cyclicity in mated male mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos)
The Auk, 1983
Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) song has been demonstrated to function in the species' perennial territoriality. Data reported here suggest that this species' diverse song may also function intersexually in reproduction. Observations on the amount of song produced by identified males throughout the breeding season revealed a pronounced cyclicity in the occurrence of song. Further, song cyclicity was systematically associated with the nature of the breeding activity in progress. In each of six mated males, the amount of song increased substantially while the male was nest building. The amount of song decreased significantly during incubation and during the care of offspring. This relationship held even when the cycle of breeding activities was disrupted through nest loss; males resumed singing immediately, although losses often occurred during periods of very little song. Analyses indicated that the nest-building song burst did not result from the activities involved in nest construction itself but often preceded the first observed instance of nest building. Increased song during nest building cannot be explained by excess amounts of unoccupied singing time available to males not engaged in the care of offspring. The overall pattern of results indicates that Mockingbird song may function in reproductive as well as in territorial contexts. Further, the cyclic relationship between song and breeding activities suggests that song may constitute a mechanism by which the reproductive state of the female is rapidly reset in preparation for subsequent broods.
Ornithology
In this study, we documented for the first time singing on the nest (SOTN) in 74% of 65 Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) nests that were monitored with continuous-running video cameras (8,353.9 hr sampled). As predicted, higher rates of SOTN significantly decreased daily survival rates of nests. SOTN occurred almost exclusively by females during the egg stage and in 86% (48 of 56) of nests for which we had sampling from the egg stage. While extensive at the population level, the average rate of SOTN per individual was low (5.24 ± 1.24 s SOTN per hour of video sampled). We found mixed support for the hypothesis that SOTN functions in territory maintenance. We found no support for the hypotheses that SOTN functions to coordinate parental care, defend nests, or aid in vocal learning. Given the limited attention SOTN has received and the mostly anecdotal accounts of it, our understanding of its costs and benefits is lacking. We conclude that while individual rates of SOTN are qu...
Effects of singing on copulation success and egg production in brown-headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater
Behavioral Ecology, 2010
We examined the relationship between singing and reproductive success in cowbirds. We amassed data from 17 captive flocks (164 males, 167 females) that we have studied over 4 years. For each flock, we conducted extensive observations on social interactions as the birds competed, courted, and reproduced. We collected and incubated all eggs laid during the breeding season and performed parentage analyses on the 7 flocks with the highest levels of egg production. Finally, we measured males' song quality in playback tests. Here, we assessed what aspects of singing were associated with 1) copulation success and 2) offspring production. Results differed for these 2 measures of reproductive success because of high variance in egg production within and across groups. The overall amount of songs males directed to females, a measure of courtship persistence, was the one variable strongly associated with males' copulation success. For offspring production, there was significant between-flock variability that was more pronounced than the within-group variability. The one variable that was found to be strongly associated with eggs laid within and across groups was the amount of countersinging males produced; a measure of male-male singing competition. Song attractiveness did not predict any unique variance in either measure of reproductive success. The relationship between female egg production and male competition suggests that females may be trading off current versus future reproduction based on the opportunities available in groups to evaluate males' competitive abilities. by guest on December 16, 2016 http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from by guest on December 16, 2016 http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from White et al. • Singing and reproductive success 217 by guest on December 16, 2016 http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from 218 Behavioral Ecology by guest on December 16, 2016 http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from
Ethology, 2004
It is well established, through laboratory experiments, that male song in birds can stimulate female reproductive activity, affecting their behaviour and physiology, such as follicular growth, nest building and egg-laying. However no clear demonstration has yet been provided that this effect works under natural conditions. Previous work in natural populations of serins showed that female nest-building behaviour correlated with male singing time. Furthermore male serin song peaked exactly in the day that rapid follicular growth was estimated to start in females, suggesting that in this species song may also serve to stimulate the female's reproductive development. Direct causal evidence, however, was lacking. We conducted field playback experiments to investigate how song can influence female nesting activity during nest building. Our results show that females who listened daily to playbacks of serin songs, during the nest-building stage, spent more time nest building than females that were not exposed to additional songs. Moreover, the singing behaviour of the mated males was not affected by the playbacks, suggesting that the song playback treatment had a direct positive effect on female nesting behaviour.
Mate attraction by autumnal song in the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
The Auk, 1991
We do not understand what benefit, if any, accrued to the wagtail from feeding the dipper nestlings. Dawkins (1976) suggested that birds adopting alien young might benefit in gaining experience as a parent. Although this explanation might account for inexperienced birds feeding heterospecific nestlings, it seems unsuitable for the behavior of this Gray Wagtail, given that he simultaneously fed his own brood, at least one of which fledged. Instead, the prolonged investment in the dipper nestlings was more probably a realadaptive response to the proximity of loudly begging chicks. Strong responsiveness to stimuli associated with dependent young may have advantages that compensate for the rare instances in which that responsiveness results in maladaptive behavior. It may be significant that wagtail nestlings are much quieter than dipper nestlings. The dippers' calls may have acted as a "super-normal" stimulus (Tinbergen 1948) to trigger feeding of the alien young as the male passed en route to his own nest with food. One prediction of this hypothesis is that noisy nestlings would be more likely to be fed by heterospecifics than quiet nestlings, especially if the young of the adopting species are quiet. A significant aspect of our observations is that spontaneous interspecific feeding, once initiated, may be self-perpetuating. First, increased feeding by the heterospecific reduces the parents' contribution and, consequently, their activity near the nest. The interspecific aggression that might deter the adopting bird is therefore less likely to occur. Second, the sign stimuli that initially occasioned the interspecific feeding (e.g. begging calls, gaping mouths) may become associated with the sight of the alien nest and with approaches to it, thus increasing the probability that the adopting bird will return to the alien nest. A comprehensive understanding of the proximal mechanisms underlying interspecific feeding, and any ecological and evolutionary consequences, awaits additional data.
Animal Behaviour, 2008
Male songbirds typically mate-guard by closely following the female during her fertile period. At dawn, males may sing near the nest or roost to direct their chorus at mates. Recent evidence suggests males may also be involved in singing interactions with neighbours during the dawn chorus. We used a 16channel acoustic location system to examine the movement behaviour of 37 male black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus, during the dawn chorus to determine if male proximity to the nest is a function of breeding stage. Males with fertile females covered a significantly smaller area within their territory, made fewer long-distance movements and sang at a lower song rate compared to males with nonfertile females. Males with fertile mates remained significantly closer to their nest cavity than males with incubating mates. Males with nonfertile mates spent more time near their neighbours with fertile mates than near their neighbours with nonfertile mates. Neither social rank nor age had a significant effect on movement behaviour or song rate. Our results clearly show that female fertility influences dawn chorusing behaviour in male black-capped chickadees. Males may remain near their nest to minimize the risk of cuckoldry, but when their partner is not fertile males may increase movement behaviour to interact with neighbours and/ or to advertise to potential extrapair mates.
Response to playback of nestling begging in the red-winged blackbird,Agelaius phoeniceus
Animal Behaviour, 1998
Nestling birds may honestly signal their need for food to provisioning adults, or begging might be a manipulative attempt to coerce additional food from providers, but in either case, providers respond to an increase in begging with an increase in feeding. We used playback of begging calls recorded from nestlings to determine whether male and female red-winged blackbirds increase their feeding rates in response to an apparent increase in begging. Both females and males fed broods at significantly higher rates after 5-min begging call playbacks than before, although only eight of 30 males were observed to feed nestlings in this study. In contrast, using the same playback design, neither females nor males altered their feeding rates significantly in response to broadcasts of noise. These results and others suggest that begging vocalizations are a basis for short-term adjustments in the rate at which nestling birds are provisioned. These results are also compared with those of a similar study of the same species, in which playback had no significant effect on rates of provisioning.