TY - JOUR

T1 - Sex-specific responses to vocal convergence and divergence of contact calls in orange-fronted conures (Aratinga canicularis)

AU - Balsby, Thorsten J S

AU - Scarl, Judith C

N1 - Keywords: Acoustic Stimulation; Animals; Female; Male; Population Dynamics; Psittaciformes; Sex Factors; Social Behavior; Vocalization, Animal

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - We investigated the signal function of vocal imitation of contact calls in orange-fronted conures (OFCs; Aratinga canicularis) in Costa Rica. OFCs live in dynamic social systems with frequent flock fusions and fissions. Exchanges of contact calls precede these flock changes. During call exchanges, the similarity between the contact calls of different individuals may either increase (converge) or decrease (diverge). We conducted a playback experiment on wild-caught captive birds in which we simulated convergent, divergent and no-change interaction series with male and female contact calls. OFCs responded differently to convergent and divergent series of contact calls, but only when we considered the sex of the test birds. Males called most in response to convergent series, whereas females demonstrated high calling rates in response to both convergent and divergent interactions. Both sexes responded most to contact calls from the opposite sex, but overall females produced more calls and had shorter latencies to calling than males. These results demonstrate that OFCs can discriminate between male and female contact calls and that subtle changes in contact call structure during interactions have signal function. The stronger overall response to convergent series suggests that convergence of contact calls is an affiliative signal.

AB - We investigated the signal function of vocal imitation of contact calls in orange-fronted conures (OFCs; Aratinga canicularis) in Costa Rica. OFCs live in dynamic social systems with frequent flock fusions and fissions. Exchanges of contact calls precede these flock changes. During call exchanges, the similarity between the contact calls of different individuals may either increase (converge) or decrease (diverge). We conducted a playback experiment on wild-caught captive birds in which we simulated convergent, divergent and no-change interaction series with male and female contact calls. OFCs responded differently to convergent and divergent series of contact calls, but only when we considered the sex of the test birds. Males called most in response to convergent series, whereas females demonstrated high calling rates in response to both convergent and divergent interactions. Both sexes responded most to contact calls from the opposite sex, but overall females produced more calls and had shorter latencies to calling than males. These results demonstrate that OFCs can discriminate between male and female contact calls and that subtle changes in contact call structure during interactions have signal function. The stronger overall response to convergent series suggests that convergence of contact calls is an affiliative signal.

U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2008.0517

DO - 10.1098/rspb.2008.0517

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 18522908

VL - 275

SP - 2147

EP - 2154

JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

SN - 0962-8452

IS - 1647

ER -