Booming far: the long-range vocal strategy of a lekking bird.

ABSTRACT: The pressures of selection acting on transmission of information by acoustic signals are particularly high in long-distance communication networks. Males of the North African houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) produce extremely low-frequency vocalizations called 'booms' as a component of their courtship displays. These displays are performed on sites separated by a distance of on average 550 m, constituting exploded leks. Here, we investigate the acoustic features of booms involved in species-specific identity. We first assessed the modifications of acoustic parameters during boom transmission at long range within the natural habitat of the species, finding that the frequency content of booms was reliably transmitted up to 600 m. Additionally, by testing males' behaviou

SUBMITTER: Cornec C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5579117 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature