Flight calls signal group and individual identity but not kinship in a cooperatively breeding bird.

ABSTRACT: In many complex societies, intricate communication and recognition systems may evolve to help support both direct and indirect benefits of group membership. In cooperatively breeding species where groups typically comprise relatives, both learned and innate vocal signals may serve as reliable cues for kin recognition. Here, we investigated vocal communication in the plural cooperatively breeding superb starling, Lamprotornis superbus, where flight calls-short, stereotyped vocalizations used when approaching conspecifics-may communicate kin relationships, group membership, and/or individual identity. We found that flight calls were most similar within individual repertoires but were also more similar within groups than within the larger population. Although starlings responded differ

SUBMITTER: Keen SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3796708 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature