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Fig. 4.2
Proportion of
willow within 1-ha cells
centered on kingbird nests
(
open bars
) and 1-ha cells
used to characterize the
overall availability of
willow habitat within the
study area (
closed bars
)
(Reproduced by permission
from Redmond et al.
2009
)
4.6 Male-Female Song Recognition
The acoustic recognition of a partner is fundamental for successful reproduction. In
birds this capacity has been observed in zebra finches (
Taeniopygia guttata
),
dunnocks (
Prunella moularis
), pied flycatchers (
Ficedula hypoleuca
), and eastern
whipbirds (
Psophodes olivaceus
). Recently another species, the great tit (
Parus
major
), has been added to this list (Lind et al.
1996
). Using a playback protocol,
females of the great tit were “called out” during the clutch period (Fig.
4.3
). The
male invites the female to leave the nest and often offers food to the female. This
behavior is common during the incubating time. For the experiment, songs of the
partner and songs of other males were utilized. Females reacted by abandoning their
incubation only after the song of the partner. The recognition of the partner may be
important for a female because the partner often provides food that the female has
difficulty in finding for herself during the incubation period. Male calling could
represent also an important signal of the absence of predators in the surroundings.
4.7 Sound Degradation and Ranging Hypothesis
Acoustic degradation is one of the most conspicuous processes that occur between a
transmitter and a receiver. Acoustic degradation, which occurs more in the close
forested environment than in open areas, has a strong influence on communication
efficiency between vocal animals (Wiley
1998
). Sound attenuation by distance
and vegetation scattering degrades sounds and reduces the efficiency of acoustic
communication.
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