Song type matching, song type switching and eavesdropping in male great tits
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
Standard
Song type matching, song type switching and eavesdropping in male great tits. / Peake, Thomas More; Matessi, Giuliano; McGregor, Peter Kenneth; Dabelsteen, Torben.
In: Animal Behaviour, Vol. 69, No. 5, 2005, p. 1063-1068.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Song type matching, song type switching and eavesdropping in male great tits
AU - Peake, Thomas More
AU - Matessi, Giuliano
AU - McGregor, Peter Kenneth
AU - Dabelsteen, Torben
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - Eavesdropping involves the extraction of information from signalling interactions by individuals notdirectly involved. Such behaviour has been conclusively demonstrated by experiments that presentsongbirds with simulated singing interactions in which the roles of interactants were varied by changingthe timing of songs. We examined the phenomenon of song type matching by presenting male greattits, Parus major, with simulated interactions in which one interactant switched song type such that itmatched (or not) that sung by the opponent. Subjects responded to simulated intrusion by previouslyheard interactants by singing significantly shorter songs in response to males that switched (i.e. used twosong types), regardless of whether or not matching occurred, compared with those that used one.Subjects also showed a significantly lower level of approach behaviour to males whose opponents hadswitched song types but not matched. Male great tits are therefore capable of extracting different kindsof information by eavesdropping on interactions between others and using that information whendeciding how to respond to subsequent intrusion. These results confirm and expand our knowledge onthe potential of eavesdropping to provide accurate information on the likely strengths and weaknessesof potential rivals
AB - Eavesdropping involves the extraction of information from signalling interactions by individuals notdirectly involved. Such behaviour has been conclusively demonstrated by experiments that presentsongbirds with simulated singing interactions in which the roles of interactants were varied by changingthe timing of songs. We examined the phenomenon of song type matching by presenting male greattits, Parus major, with simulated interactions in which one interactant switched song type such that itmatched (or not) that sung by the opponent. Subjects responded to simulated intrusion by previouslyheard interactants by singing significantly shorter songs in response to males that switched (i.e. used twosong types), regardless of whether or not matching occurred, compared with those that used one.Subjects also showed a significantly lower level of approach behaviour to males whose opponents hadswitched song types but not matched. Male great tits are therefore capable of extracting different kindsof information by eavesdropping on interactions between others and using that information whendeciding how to respond to subsequent intrusion. These results confirm and expand our knowledge onthe potential of eavesdropping to provide accurate information on the likely strengths and weaknessesof potential rivals
U2 - 10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.08.009
DO - 10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.08.009
M3 - Journal article
VL - 69
SP - 1063
EP - 1068
JO - Animal Behaviour
JF - Animal Behaviour
SN - 0003-3472
IS - 5
ER -
ID: 84350