Vocal communication in songbirds is important for aggressive signaling, such that an honest signal allows receivers to assess a competitor's qualities. One aspect of song that conspecifics may assess is vocal performance. An example of vocal performance is how well an individual performs the trade-off between trill rate and bandwidth in production of repeated notes. This type of vocal performance (vocal deviation) is thought to be an honest signal because a male's ability to maximize both bandwidth and trill rate is limited by motor constraints on sound modification. Further, how well a male can repeat this trade-off may provide receivers with information about the signaler, and a male's own level of vocal performance can affect the strength of response to high-performance songs. We tested whether males assess each other based on vocal performance in an important model species, the White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys). We show that male White-crowned Sparrows respond more strongly to high-performance songs than to lower-performance songs in 2 different locations, supporting the hypothesis that males utilize vocal performance to assess competitors. We also provide initial evidence that vocal performance varies among males and is repeatable within individuals.
How to translate text using browser tools
10 May 2017
Vocal performance is a salient signal for male–male competition in White-crowned Sparrows
Jennifer N. Phillips,
Elizabeth P. Derryberry
The Auk
Vol. 134 • No. 3
July 2017
Vol. 134 • No. 3
July 2017
BIRDSONG
male–male competition
sexual selection
vocal performance
Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli