青藏高原白腰雪雀鸣声结构的复杂性

本文以SAS Lab鸟类声谱分析软件对采自青藏高原黑马河、玛多与花石峡、沱沱河的白腰雪雀不同地方种群的鸣叫与鸣唱的复杂性进行了分析 ,发现白腰雪雀的鸣叫相对变化率随着采样量的增加由 0 5 2 2迅速降低到 0 1 2 7和 0 1 1 9,表明其鸣叫声组成中音节类型较少。同时发现其声谱图结构比较简单 ,表现出高度的音节重复并多有谐波的现象。鸣唱结构相对复杂 ,不同鸣唱音节数随鸣唱曲目的增加 ,开始有明显的增加 ,当鸣唱曲目增加到一定值时 ,不同音节数的增加趋于平缓 ,几乎保持稳定 ;野外未发现任何相同的鸣唱型 ,但在不同鸣唱型之间具有不同程度的音节共享现象。依据雷富民等 (2 0 0 3)对鸟类鸣唱多样性和复杂性的评述 ,白腰雪雀鸣唱的结构模式符合“多音节序列不稳定变化型” ,其鸣唱曲目中音节的转换形式为“序列鸣唱”。然而 ,鸣唱模式中音节类型的有限性和鸣唱型的高度多样化表明 :白腰雪雀鸣唱的复杂性不仅体现在鸣唱型内较丰富的音节组成 ,而且更重要的还在于不同鸣唱型间具有多变的音节序列组合形式     

白头鹎的鸣唱结构及其鸣唱微地理变异

对武汉市区白头鹎(Pycnonotus sinensis)的鸣唱类型和音节类型进行了统计、分析,并按照采样地点划分为组(微地理种群),对组间、组内不同白头鹎个体间的鸣唱差异进行了探讨.分析来自市区5个样点的26只雄性白头鹎的667个鸣唱,共发现18种基本鸣唱型、53种音节类型.每只雄性白头鹎具有1-3种基本鸣唱型,每只个体能唱6.7(4-1 4)种音节类型.平均每个鸣唱由5.0(3-11)个音节、4.6(3-8)种音节类型组成.白头鹎的鸣唱顺序模式为平稳过渡型,并能通过以下三种方式在基本鸣唱型的基础上产生鸣唱变异:1)省略、添加或替换鸣唱中的个别音节;2)对鸣唱中的某个部分进行重复或重复不同次数;3)将不同的鸣唱型进行拼接组合.每只个体每种基本鸣唱型至少具有2.0(1-5)个变 异类型,这种变异在个体间和个体内普遍存在.个体间能共享1-2种鸣唱型.所划分的5个组内普遍存在鸣唱型和音节类型的共享,而组间则无鸣唱型共享,有音节类型共享.采用Jaccard相似性系数衡量白头鹎个体间音节的共享情况,发现个体间的音节共享程度在组内 明显大于组间,因此认为越是邻近分布的白头鹎个体具有越相似的鸣唱     

鸟类鸣唱曲目与复杂性

鸟类的鸣唱是研究性选择和动物声音通讯的良好素材,一般认为鸟类的鸣唱曲目是性选择的结果.本文综述了鸣唱曲目和鸣唱复杂性的实验和理论成果,阐述二者的相关性,曲目和复杂鸣唱产生的解剖学基础及其得以进化形成的功能性原因.曲目和鸣唱的复杂性源于鸟类发声器官特定结构的复杂性和神经系统的协调作用,鸣唱的表现形式同时受多种因子影响,可根据改变的生境进行适应性调节.曲目和多种鸣唱型存在的必要性还在于其功能的多样性,鸟类借助于多种鸣唱型之间的转换,传达了有利于繁殖的多种信息.     

10种鸣禽控制鸣啭神经核团大小与鸣唱复杂性的相关性

为进一步揭示鸣禽鸣唱行为的神经生物学机制 ,本实验先对 8个科 10种鸣禽的鸣唱行为进行了观察和录音 ,并借助声谱软件分析了每种鸣禽的鸣唱复杂性。鸣唱语句复杂性的评价指标包括 :短语总数、每个短语中所含的平均音节数及音节种类数、所有短语的总音节数及音节种类数、最长短语的音节数及音节种类数。然后 ,测定了前脑三个鸣啭学习控制核团和一个与发声无关的视觉参考核团体积 ,分析了鸣唱语句复杂性和这些核团大小间的相关关系。结果表明 :1)HVC和HVC/Rt与 7种鸣唱语句复杂性指标无关 ;RA和RA/Rt与总音节种类数相关 ;AreaX与总音节数及音节种类数相关 ;2 )HVC/RA和HVC/X比值与多个鸣唱语句复杂性指标相关。结果提示 :鸣禽鸣唱复杂性不同特征可能受不同神经控制     

两栖爬行动物发声的神经及内分泌基础

动物的鸣声可分为鸣叫和鸣唱。鸣唱为一系列连续发出的由不同音节组成的固定序列。一般而言,音节数多于两个,由雄性个体在繁殖季节发出。鸣叫多为单音节重复发音,偶尔也有两个音节。除鸣禽外,陆生脊椎动物的鸣声都归为鸣叫类型。鸣唱主要被用于宣告领域或求偶。同时,也被用于亲缘识别和刺激异性同步发情。鸣叫的功用较多,所以包括鸣禽在内的大多数陆生脊椎动物都能发出此类叫声。鸣叫也可用于宣告领域或求偶,如蛙类。鸣叫还可以恐吓竞争对手或敌害,报告敌害或食物的方位以及表达情绪等。1　两栖动物蛙类的绝大多数种类都能鸣叫,有尾类的少数…     

白头鹎鸣唱特征的季节差异分析

许多动物的声通讯行为存在显著的季节变化,鸟类的鸣唱也是如此。雄鸟鸣唱具有宣告领域和吸引配偶的功能,在繁殖季节与非繁殖季节之间应存在一定差异,但差异如何？具体表现在哪些方面？这在很多鸟类中尚未可知。本研究以一种在秋季也有显著鸣唱行为的城市常见小型鸣禽——白头鹎（Pycnonotussinensis）为研究对象,比较其在春季（繁殖季）与秋季（非繁殖季）的鸣唱差异,并分析可能的原因。于2020至2021连续两年的春、秋季分别在武汉地区各采集了27只和30只雄性白头鹎的鸣唱录音,共测量分析春季鸣唱372个,秋季鸣唱435个。对测得的各鸣唱参数数据进行季节间比较,结果显示,白头鹎的鸣唱持续时间和鸣唱音节数存在显著季节差异,春季鸣唱的持续时间较秋季更长,鸣唱音节数更多。鸣唱的频率、能量分布等其他声学参数,以及鸣唱型出现率（反映鸣唱曲目大小）均未表现出显著季节差异。白头鹎鸣唱的时程特征相对其他鸣声特征更具季节可塑性。此外,还发现同一采样点的白头鹎春、秋两季使用相同的鸣唱型。本研究结果表明,春季白头鹎的单位时间鸣唱输出量更大,鸣唱行为更活跃,这与繁殖季节鸟类的领域性更强、为繁殖成功投入更多相一致。白头...     

斑背大尾莺繁殖期鸣声行为分析

2009年5-7月,在辽宁双台河口保护区录制了20只繁殖期斑背大尾莺雄性个体的鸣声.根据行为特征,该鸟鸣声定义为3种鸣声类型:求偶炫耀鸣唱、报警声和联络声.利用Wavesurfer软件对20只斑背大尾莺雄性个体543个鸣声的句子持续时间、句子音节个数、音节持续时间、音节间隔时间等4个参数进行分析测量,发现求偶炫耀鸣唱由节奏逐渐加快的前部句子和音节组成复杂的主体部两个句子组成; 报警声和联络声的句子均由单音节组成.音节类型总数为38种,其中包括前部句子的音节类型6种.采用单因素方差分析(one-way ANOVA)对求偶炫耀鸣唱的4个参数进行差异性检验发现,不同个体的各个参数均呈极显著差异(P<0.01).     

黄腹山雀的鸣唱特征分析

2006年4—5月及2007年6月,在北京小龙门林区录制了黄腹山雀(Parus venustulus)的鸣唱,利用Avisoft-SASLab Pro鸟声声谱分析软件(德国)测量鸣唱特征参数后进行统计分析,发现该地区的黄腹山雀种群鸣唱句法简单,鸣唱句子均为相同音节的不断重复。所采集的音节曲目中包含了56种音节型,音节类型数与采样个体数(r=0.973,P=0.000<0.05)呈显著正相关,不同个体的领域性鸣唱存在显著差异。与同域分布的大山雀、褐头山雀、煤山雀、沼泽山雀相比较,黄腹山雀的鸣唱句子最短(Dv=0.83±0.48),频率较高(Fmax=7.64±1.01,Fmin=3.27±1.13),句子中音节的重复次数最少(Ns.v=2.0±0.2)。     

山地隔离和空间距离对高黎贡山灰腹地莺(Tesia cyaniventer)鸣唱特征的影响

鸟类鸣唱存在广泛的地理变异，研究鸟类鸣唱变异的模式及其影响因素可帮助解释自然界中广泛而复杂的鸣声变异现象。灰腹地莺（Tesia cyaniventer）是在高黎贡山海拔2000-2800 m分布的小型地栖性森林鸟类。高黎贡山南北走向的山脊海拔通常在3000m以上，这导致灰腹地莺东、西坡种群被山脊所隔离。该种小鸟鸣声洪亮易于鉴别，其鸣声地理变异可揭示山地对鸟类种群产生的隔离效应。在高黎贡山片马垭口和独龙江垭口的东西坡4个地点录制了灰腹地莺的鸣声（n=58），基于声谱分析比较了种群间鸣唱的质量特征，发现种群间鸣唱型的共享程度极低，而音节型在4个种群间均有共享。进一步测量了11个鸣唱的数量特征参数，有6个参数在不同种群间有显著差异：最低频率、中心频率、频率宽度、起始音节频率、首二音节的时间间隔、句子平均音节数。种群间的两两比较表明，鸣声特征差异呈现"隔离-距离"共同作用的格局，但隔离的影响更大。研究表明山地系统中影响鸟类鸣声地理变异的因素较为复杂，山地隔离和空间距离均对灰腹地莺的鸣唱特征产生了影响。     

金翅雀对城市噪音的非预期鸣唱响应模式

城镇化提高了环境噪音水平,一般认为高水平的噪音对城市鸟类鸣声的传播会带来不利影响。城市鸟类可以通过提高最低频率、增加鸣唱长度和缩短鸣唱的起始音素长度等不同的响应模式调节其鸣唱特征以实现鸣唱的有效传播。本研究采用Avisoft SASLab Pro比较了西宁市3个不同噪音水平下,金翅雀Chloris sinica的鸣唱特征(最高频率、最低频率、频宽、主峰频率、鸣唱时间和起始音素时间)的差异,以探索鸟类对梯度噪音水平的响应模式。结果表明,随着噪音水平的升高,鸣唱的最低频率和最高频率呈现出高-低-高的变化模式,鸣唱时间和起始音素时间呈现出短-长-短的变化模式;高、低噪音组内不同地点的鸣唱主峰频率差异显著(P<0.05)。结合鸣唱地点的植被特征,推测金翅雀在提高鸣唱频率避免被噪音掩蔽和降低频率以利于在林间传播之间可能存在一个权衡,鸣唱频率和鸣唱长度可能存在一定的关联,而主峰频率对噪音外的其他环境因子更敏感。     

Male and female rufous‐and‐white wrens do not match song types with same‐sex rivals during simulated territorial intrusions

In birds with song repertoires, song‐type matching occurs when an individual responds to another individual's song by producing the same song type. Song‐type matching has been described in multiple bird species and a growing body of evidence suggests that song‐type matching may serve as a conventional signal of aggression, particularly in male birds in the temperate zone. Few studies have investigated song‐type matching in tropical birds or female birds, in spite of the fact that avian biodiversity is highest in the tropics, that female song is widespread in the tropics, and that female song is the ancestral state among songbirds. In this study of rufous‐and‐white wrens Thryophilus rufalbus, a resident neotropical songbird where both sexes sing, we presented territorial males and females with playback that simulated a territorial rival producing shared and unshared songs. In response, both males and females sang matched song types at levels statistically equal to levels expected by chance. Furthermore, males and females exhibited similar levels of aggression and similar vocal behaviours in response to playback of both shared and unshared songs. These results indicate that rufous‐and‐white wrens do not use song‐type matching in territorial conflicts as a conventional signal of aggression. We discuss alternative hypotheses for the function of song‐type sharing in tropical birds. In particular, we point out that shared songs may play an important role in intra‐pair communication, especially for birds where males and females combine their songs in vocal duets, and this may supersede the function of song‐type matching in some tropical birds.     

Is song-type matching a conventional signal of aggressive intentions?

Song-type matching is a singing strategy found in some oscine songbirds with repertoires of song types and at least partial sharing of song types between males. Males reply to the song of a rival male by subsequently singing the same song type. For type matching to serve as an effective long-distance threat signal, it must be backed up by some probability of aggressive approach and impose some type of cost on senders that minimizes the temptation to bluff. Western subspecies of the song sparrow exhibit moderate levels of song-type sharing between adjacent males and sometimes type match in response to playback of song types they possess in their repertoires. Interactive playback experiments were used in order to examine the subsequent behaviour of type-matching birds and to quantify the responses of focal birds to type-matching versus non-matching stimuli. Birds that chose to type match the playback of a shared song type subsequently approached the speaker much more aggressively than birds that did not type match. Moreover, birds approached a type-matching stimulus much more aggressively than a non-matching stimulus. These results and consideration of alternatives suggest that type matching in song sparrows is a conventional signal in which honesty is maintained by a receiver retaliation cost against bluffers.     

Response of introduced European birds in New Zealand to experimental brood parasitism

The loss of anti-parasite adaptations against the European cuckoo Cuculus canorus was studied in three European passerine species, song thrush Turdus philomelos , blackbird T. merula , and chaffinch Fringilla coelebs , introduced to New Zealand in the 19th century. Chaffinches in New Zealand ejected non-mimetic eggs at a rate similar to their source population in the United Kingdom, but both song thrushes and blackbirds in New Zealand rejected non-mimetic eggs at a higher rate than the United Kingdom. It is not clear if this difference reflects variation among hosts in their response to brood parasitism or if it is an artefact of subtle differences in the types of non-mimetic eggs tested. In contrast, all three introduced species showed little aggression to a taxidermic model of a European cuckoo presented at their nests. This differs from European populations of these species, where model cuckoos are typically attacked. Our results suggest that in the∼130 years since their release in New Zealand, introduced birds have lost recognition of the European cuckoo but not their ability to discriminate non-mimetic eggs. The differential loss of anti-parasite adaptations by introduced birds in New Zealand suggests that cyclical models of host/parasite co-evolution may need to take into account the differing rates at which different host adaptations are lost and gained.     

Imitation and Invention in Song Learning in Nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos B., Turdidae)

Song learning in oscine birds is often defined solely as a process of song imitation; nonetheless, not all songs produced by laboratory‐tutored birds are imitations of the model songs. If song learning were strictly a process of imitation, these non‐imitated songs (inventions) would be expected to contain no learned attributes. To determine whether species‐typical song attributes can be learned in the absence of imitation, we compared the imitations and inventions of laboratory‐tutored nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos B.) with the songs of wild nightingales and the songs of laboratory‐reared, untutored nightingales. The species‐typical song attribute measured was stereotypy. We quantified stereotypy by four variables: (1) percentage of notes shared between two renditions of the same song type (2) difference in repetition rates of the same trill in two renditions of the same song type (3) acoustic similarity of the same note in two renditions of the same song type, and (4) acoustic similarity of the same note repeated within a trill. Wild songs and imitated songs were significantly more stereotypical than the songs of untutored birds for all measures. For the percentage of notes shared (1), and the acoustic similarity of notes in two renditions of the same song type (3), invented songs did not differ from the songs of untutored birds, suggesting that imitation is necessary for the acquisition of these song characteristics. However, invented songs were significantly more stereotypical than the songs of untutored birds for measures of stereotypy related to trills (2 and 4), and neither imitated nor invented songs differed significantly from the songs of wild birds in terms of trill rate stereotypy (2). Thus, it appears that the process of learning to produce trills may differ from the process of learning non‐repetitive song components: increased stereotypy in trills occurs even when the trills themselves are not copied from song models. Strict imitation does not fully account for the acquisition of some learned song attributes.     

Conditions Affecting Song Acquisition in Nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos L.)

Hand raised nightingales were alternatively confronted with different series of songs which permitted labeling of particular learning situations and allowed detection of specific consequences of diverse learning conditions. We found that visual contact with a tutor affected both quality and quantity of acquired patterns. Without visual contact the birds acquired only song sections consisting of repeated vocal units', which proved to be relevant for species recognition. With visual contact the birds learnt every presented song type completely (→ song type sharing between tutor and learner). Furthermore, the birds developed additional song types individually: by distinct parameter variation, or by recombination of particular tutor song units (Fig. 1; Table 1). Functional aspects of this type of song acquisition and development are discussed.     

Altered auditory BOLD response to conspecific birdsong in zebra finches with stuttered syllables

How well a songbird learns a song appears to depend on the formation of a robust auditory template of its tutor's song. Using functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging we examine auditory responses in two groups of zebra finches that differ in the type of song they sing after being tutored by birds producing stuttering-like syllable repetitions in their songs. We find that birds that learn to produce the stuttered syntax show attenuated blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses to tutor's song, and more pronounced responses to conspecific song primarily in the auditory area field L of the avian forebrain, when compared to birds that produce normal song. These findings are consistent with the presence of a sensory song template critical for song learning in auditory areas of the zebra finch forebrain. In addition, they suggest a relationship between an altered response related to familiarity and/or saliency of song stimuli and the production of variant songs with stuttered syllables.     

Rock wrens preferentially use song types that improve long distance signal transmission during natural singing bouts

When animals are capable of producing variable signals they may preferentially use some signal types over others. Among songbirds, individuals are known to alter song type form and usage patterns in contest and mating situations, but studies have not examined how song choice improves signal efficacy during broadcast song. For this study we investigated rock wren Salpinctes obsoletus song type use rates during natural singing bouts. We tested three hypotheses for adaptive song use during broadcast song: 1) birds improve signal content by increasing the use of high quality songs, 2) birds optimize for signal propagation by preferentially using songs that transmit well, and 3) birds maintain energy by reducing the use of costly songs. The study included 19 058 songs sung by 12 individuals, each of which had a measured song repertoire of between 52 and 117 song types which were produced at highly variable rates. Results indicated that rock wrens did not preferentially sing song types with shorter durations or fewer frequency switches, as would be expected if they selected song types to minimize delivery costs. They also did not favor songs with more rapid trills or more frequency switches, as would be expected if they adjusted song use primarily to indicate quality. Focal birds did preferentially sing significantly longer songs with lower bandwidths, lower frequencies, and slower trill rates. Results suggest that natural broadcast singing patterns are shaped more by the benefits of long distance transmission than by the benefits of advertising performance ability or the costs of song production.     

Neighbour recognition by resident males in the banded wren, Thryothorus pleurostictus, a tropical songbird with high song type sharing

Several studies and reviews have suggested that the ability to discriminate between neighbours and strangers decreases as neighbour song repertoire size and song type sharing increase. We tested the recognition capabilities of territorial male banded wrens by comparing the aggressive approach responses of focal birds to three playback treatments: shared song types sung by an adjacent neighbour (neighbour song), shared song types sung by unfamiliar birds (mimic song), and unshared song types sung by unfamiliar birds (unfamiliar song). All three treatments for each male were broadcast from the same location on the territorial boundary shared with the appropriate neighbour. As expected, focal males responded nonaggressively to the neighbour treatment and aggressively to the unfamiliar song treatment. The approach response to the mimic treatment was statistically indistinguishable from the unfamiliar treatment and significantly higher than the neighbour treatment, suggesting that most males were able to recognize unfamiliar singers even when the song types played were very similar to those of their neighbours. The relative strength of responses to the mimic varied: some males treated the mimic song with low aggression levels typical of responses to neighbour song. Repertoire sizes of focal and neighbour birds, the fraction of song types shared among neighbouring males, and the similarity of neighbour and mimic song types did not explain this variation. Therefore, within the short 3-min period of our playback experiments, some birds may have used repertoire composition as a recognition cue and confused the mimic with the neighbour. Copyright 2001 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Song-type function during territorial encounters in male Cetti's Warblers Cettia cetti

During undisturbed singing, male Cetti's Warblers Cettia cetti sing constantly the same song type (S-song), which is stereotyped individually but differs between individuals. When facing a territorial dispute, males may start to sing a distinct song type (I-song) used only in this context. To evaluate the functional significance of these two song types in the communication system of Cetti's Warbler, two series of playback experiments were performed. When exposed to repeated S-songs of an extraneous male, most of the ten birds tested ceased to sing S-songs and used I-songs, generally while displaying aggressive reactions. After a while, they started to sing S-songs again but at a higher rate than before the playback. In a second series of experiments, seven birds were first exposed to a playback of S-songs and then to a second stimulation with three I-songs or with three further S-songs. The birds tended to approach the speakers in response to the first playback but, in most cases, withdrew from them after the second one. No significant differences in the reactions of the test birds were found between the trials using S-songs and those with I-songs. The present results indicate that the two song types constitute two signals associated with territorial behaviour; the song type emitted is probably dependent on the singer's level of aggressiveness.     

Repertoire Sharing and Song Similarity between Great Tit Males Decline with Distance between Forest Fragments

Birdsong can play a critical role in establishing a territory and finding a mate among individuals from local and foreign populations. Variation in birdsong among populations can be influenced by habitat fragmentation and might affect successful dispersal among habitat fragments. We studied variation in great tit song in a long‐term study population distributed over nine forest fragments. All individual males recorded had a known dispersal history within the fragmented forest habitat. We found spatial structure of declining song‐type sharing with distance, with a marked drop from an individual’s own forest fragment to another across a habitat gap. We also found decreasing song similarity among increasingly distant fragments in terms of temporal and spectral characteristics of shared song types. The change in acoustic structure was more gradual and seemed less affected by habitat discontinuity but also showed a tight correlation with dispersal index among forest fragments. Immigrant birds shared fewer song types with neighbouring birds that were born within the same forest fragment, but not less compared to birds born in another forest fragment within the study area. Our data provide detailed insight into the relationship between song differentiation and male dispersal and contribute to our understanding of the potential role of song in reproductive exchange and avian speciation. The fact that birds in small forest fragments shared more songs than birds in larger forest fragments confirms that song analysis has potential as a tool for conservation in rare species.