Zebra finch song is a very short-range signal in the wild: evidence from an integrated approach.

ABSTRACT: Birdsong is typically seen as a long-range signal functioning in mate attraction and territory defense. Among birds, the zebra finch is the prime model organism in bioacoustics, yet almost exclusively studied in the lab. In the wild, however, zebra finch song differs strikingly from songbirds commonly studied in the wild as zebra finch males sing most after mating and in the absence of territoriality. Using data from the wild, we here provide an ecological context for a wealth of laboratory studies. By integrating calibrated sound recordings, sound transmission experiments and social ecology of zebra finches in the wild with insights from hearing physiology we show that wild zebra finch song is a very short-range signal with an audible range of about nine meters and that even the louder di

SUBMITTER: Loning H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8857932 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature