| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 2005 |
| Authors: | Leadbeater, E, Goller, F, Riebel, K |
| Journal: | Animal Behaviour |
| Volume: | 70 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Date Published: | 2005 |
| ISBN Number: | 0003-3472 |
| Keywords: | Estrildidae, Taeniopygia, Taeniopygia guttata |
| Abstract: | The recent finding that in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, some males produce certain high-pitch song syllables during inspiration, a trait requiring unusual motor coordination, raises questions as to a possible role for these unusual sounds in mate attraction. If inspiratory syllables are indicative of a generally higher level of motor control, potentially relating to male quality, this might be reflected in other song characteristics. In a quantitative song analysis we found that the presence of inspiratory syllables in a male's individual-specific song motif covaried with both motif length and syllable rate. Furthermore, the unusually high frequencies at peak amplitude reached by such syllables exceed those of any other zebra finch syllable type. Hence, songs containing inspiratory phonation clearly differ both in performance aspects (syllable rate and motif length) and in structure from those that are wholly expiratory. These findings are in line with the idea that inspiratory syllables are indicative of enhanced motor control and performance. To test whether these differences bear on female receivers' preferences, we offered female zebra finches the choice between unmanipulated song motifs containing and lacking inspiratory phonation, in operant two-choice preference tests. Song motifs containing inspiratory phonation were not systematically preferred, both when songs were randomly paired and when motif length was controlled for, implying that this unusual trait does not impact significantly upon song attractiveness in an intersexual context. |
| URL: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000334720500223X |
| Short Title: | Animal Behaviour |
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