AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Relationship between Song Repertoire and Age in the Canary, Serinus canarius

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1978
Authors:Nottebohm, F, Nottebohm, ME
Journal:Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie
Volume:46
Issue:3
Date Published:1978
ISBN Number:1439-0310
Keywords:Fringillidae, Serinus, Serinus canaria, Serinus serinus
Abstract:Abstract We recorded the song of six male canaries during their first and second year of life to see if we could detect systematic age-related changes. Soundspectrographic analysis revealed that many syllables from the previous year were omitted and many new ones were added. There was a significant increase in syllable repertoire during the second year. The proportion of single-element syllables increased between year 1 and year 2. These results indicate that neural pathways responsible for song learning in canaries remain plastic in adulthood. We suggest that the larger song repertoires of older ♂♂ confer a reproductive advantage by acting as a more potent stimulus on ♀♀.
URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1978.tb01451.x
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