Song description of the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) in two populations of eastern Argentina, and some indirect evidences of imitative vocal learning

Abstract

The song of the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) in two eastern Argentina areas (Luján and Magdalena) is described. Song is typically composed by different syllable types repetitively delivered, thus conforming phrases. There is a significant difference in the mean number of syllable types per song between Magdalena and Luján populations. This difference is associated with the tendency in Magdalena's songs to be shorter and with fewer syllables than the Luján ones. This report critically discusses current evidence of vocal imitation leaming, and offers some new data concerning this ability in T. aedon, based on the observation of intraspecific song sharing of interindividual variable syllable types.