Loss of cultural song diversity and the convergence of songs in a declining Hawaiian forest bird community.

ABSTRACT: The effects of population decline on culturally transmitted behaviours in animals have rarely been described, but may have major implications to population viability. Learned vocal signals in birds are of critical importance to behaviours associated with reproduction, intrasexual interactions and group cohesion, and the complexity of vocal signals such as song can serve as an honest signal of an individual's quality as well as the viability of a population. In this study, we examined how rapid population declines recently experienced by Hawaiian honeycreepers on the island of Kaua'i (USA) may have influenced the diversity, complexity and similarity of learned honeycreeper songs. We analysed the acoustic characteristics of songs recorded during three time periods over a 40-year time frame f

SUBMITTER: Paxton KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6731710 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature