Abstract
Motor constraints on vocal production impose a trade-off between trill rate and frequency bandwidth within birdsong. We tested whether domesticated canary (Serinus canaria) females, reared either in acoustic isolation or in aviary conditions, had a preference for broad bandwidth songs with artificially increased syllable rates. The copulation solicitation display (CSD) was used as an index of female preference. As predicted, both naive and experienced females were especially responsive to syllables with a broad bandwidth emitted at an artificially increased rate. Female preference for supernormal stimuli provide support for the honest-signalling hypothesis and our results are consistent with recent findings indicating that production of song phrases maximizing both bandwidth and syllable rate may be a reliable indicator of male physical or behavioural qualities. We suggest that female preference for vocal emissions, which simultaneously maximize these two parameters, could be a widespread pattern within songbirds.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (167.9 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Basolo A. L. Female preference predates the evolution of the sword in swordtail fish. Science. 1990 Nov 9;250(4982):808–810. doi: 10.1126/science.250.4982.808. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Braaten RF, Reynolds K. Auditory preference for conspecific song in isolation-reared zebra finches. Anim Behav. 1999 Jul;58(1):105–111. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1134. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dooling R. J., Mulligan J. A., Miller J. D. Auditory sensitivity and song spectrum of the common canary (Serinus canarius). J Acoust Soc Am. 1971 Aug;50(2):700–709. doi: 10.1121/1.1912686. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dooling R., Searcy M. Early perceptual selectivity in the swamp sparrow. Dev Psychobiol. 1980 Sep;13(5):499–506. doi: 10.1002/dev.420130508. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- King A. P., West M. J. Species identification in the North American cowbird: appropriate responses to abnormal song. Science. 1977 Mar 11;195(4282):1002–1004. doi: 10.1126/science.841321. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- doi: 10.1098/rspb.1997.0074. [DOI] [PMC free article] [Google Scholar]
- Rehsteiner U, Geisser H, Reyer Hu. Singing and mating success in water pipits: one specific song element makes all the difference. Anim Behav. 1998 Jun;55(6):1471–1481. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1998.0733. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ryan M. J., Fox J. H., Wilczynski W., Rand A. S. Sexual selection for sensory exploitation in the frog Physalaemus pustulosus. Nature. 1990 Jan 4;343(6253):66–67. doi: 10.1038/343066a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Searcy W. A., Marler P. A test for responsiveness to song structure and programming in female sparrows. Science. 1981 Aug 21;213(4510):926–928. doi: 10.1126/science.213.4510.926. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vallet E, Beme I, I, Kreutzer M. Two-note syllables in canary songs elicit high levels of sexual display. Anim Behav. 1998 Feb;55(2):291–297. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1997.0631. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Zahavi A. Mate selection-a selection for a handicap. J Theor Biol. 1975 Sep;53(1):205–214. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(75)90111-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Zahavi A. The cost of honesty (further remarks on the handicap principle). J Theor Biol. 1977 Aug 7;67(3):603–605. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(77)90061-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]