Variability and individuality in the contact calls of jackdaws (Corvus monedula).

ABSTRACT: In socially complex species, vocal signals often convey individual identity, enabling recognition and coordination of individualized groups. Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) are highly social corvids that form life-long monogamous pair bonds. They frequently produce 'tchak' contact calls while foraging in loose ground-based heterospecific flocks where maintaining cohesion without visual contact may be advantageous. We recorded tchak contact calls from nine adult males during natural foraging and analysed their acoustic structure using both conventional acoustic methods and machine learning approaches. Unsupervised classification revealed two structurally distinct call variants, a harmonic and a noisy form, which differed in spectral and temporal properties. While the harmonic variant occurred in

SUBMITTER: Szipl G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12705776 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature