Song learning in the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)

Pablo L. Tubaro; Paul T. Handford; Enrique T. Segura

doi:10.56178/eh.v14i4.965

Articles Published 01 November 1997 https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v14i4.965

Song learning in the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)

Zonotrichia capensis song learning Rufous-collared Sparrow imitation dialect

Pablo L. Tubaro Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Obligado 2490. 1428 - Buenos Aires. Argentina

Paul T. Handford Department of Zoology, University of Western Ontario. Canada. N6A 5B7

Enrique T. Segura Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Obligado 2490. 1428 - Buenos Aires. Argentina

Abstract

The role of learning in the development of the Rufous-collared Sparrow's song was investigated comparing the primary song of 10 subjects captured at different ages and raised in acoustic isolation or trained with conspecific tape-tutors, The subjects captured before day 10 of age and deprived of song models developed abnormal songs, lacking introduction (theme) and trill, In contrast, subjects captured and isolated after day 35-40 of age developed good copies of the song of their natal population, These facts suggest that the acoustical experience with the song from their natal area is sufficient for the imitation of their natal dialect. Subjects captured as nestlings and tape-tutored with natal and alien dialects developed songs with some features of the models, indicating the importance of the early acoustic experience in development of song. No evidence of song copying were found when tape-tutoring started after day 40 of age.

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References

BAPTISTA,L.F.;D.BELL&P.W.TRAIL.1993.Songlear-ningandproductioninthcWhite-crowncdSparrow:Parallelswithsexualimprinting.NetherlandsJour-nalofZoology43:17-33.
BAPTISTA,L.F.&L.PETRINOVICH.1984.Socialinterac-tion,sensitivephasesandthesongtemplatehypothe-sisintheWhite-crownedSparrow.Anim.Behav.32:172-18I.
BAPTISTA,L.F.&S.L.L.GAUNT.1997.In:Socialinte-ractionandvocaldevelopmentinbirds.[HausbergerandSnowdon(Eds.)].CambridgeUniversityPress.pp.23-40.
BAPTISTA,L.F.&L.PETRINOVICH.1986.Songdcvelop-mentintheWhite-crownedSparrow:Socialfactorsandsexdifferences.Anim.Behav.34:1359-1371.
CHILTON,G.,M.R.LEIN&L.F.BAPTISTA.1990.MatechoicebyfemaleWhite-crownedSparrowsinamixed-dialectpopulation.Behav.Ecol.Sociobiol.27:223·227.
EGLI,W.1971.InvestigacionessobreelcantodeZono-trichiacapensischi/ensis(Meyen)(Aves,Passerifor-mes).Bol.Mus.Nac.Hist.Nat.Chile32:173-190.
FOTHERINGHAM,J.R.1995.Differencesinsingingbeha-viorbetweenRufous-eollaredSparrowsinCostaRicaandnorthwesternArgentina.Condor97:821-826.
HANDFORD,P.198l.VegetationalcorrelatesofvariationinthesongofZonotr;chiacapensis,innorthwesternArgentina.Behav.Ecol.Sociobíol.8:203-206.
HANDFORD,P.1988.TrillratedialeetsintheRufous-co-llaredSparrow.Zonotrichiacapensis,innorthwes-ternArgentina.Can.J.lool.66:2658-2670.
HANDFORD,P.&S.C.LOUGHEED.1991.Variationindu-rationandfrequencyeharactersinthesongoftheRu-fous-collaredSparrow,Zonorr;chiacapens;s,withrespecttohabitat,triJIdialectsandbodysize.Con-dor93:644-658.
HANDFORD,P.&F.NOTTEBOHM.1976.AllozymieandmorphologicalvariationinpopulationsamplesofRufous-collaredSparrow,Zonotrlch;acapensis,inrelationtovocaldialects.Evolutlon30:802-817.
KING,J.R.1972.VariationinthesongoftheRufous-collaredSparrow,Zonorrichiacapensis,innorthwes-tcrnArgentina.l.Tierpsychol.30:344-373.
KROODSMA,D.E.1982.Learningandtheontogenyofsoundsignalsinbirds,p.1-23.In:D.E.KroodsmaandE.H.Miller(cds.],Acousticcommunicationinbirds.Vol.2.AcademicPress,NewYork.
LOUGHEED,S.C.;P.HANDFORD&A.J.BAKER.1993.Mi-tochondrialDNAhyperdiversityandvocaldialectsina subspeciestransitionoftheRufous-collaredSpa-rrow.Condor95:889-895.
LOUGHEED,S.C.;A.J. LOUGHEED;M.RAE&P. HANDFORD.1989.Analysisofadialectboundaryinchacovege-tationinthcRufous-collaredSparrow.Condor91:1002-1005.
MARLER,P.&D.A.NELSON.1993.Action-basedlear-ning:Anewformofdevelopmentalplasticityinbirdsong.NetherlandsJournalofloology43:91-103.
MUNDINGER,P.C.1982.Microgeographicandmaerogeo-graphievariationinacquiredvocalizationsofbirds,p.147-208.In:D.E.KroodsmaandE.H.Miller(eds.],Acousticcommunicationinbirds.Vol.2.Aca-demicPress,NewYork.
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PETRINOVICH,L.1985.Factorsinfluencingsongdevelo-pmentintheWhile-crownedSparrow(Zonotrichialeucophrys).1.Comp.Psychol.99:15-29.
PETRINOVICH,L.&L.F.BAPTISTA.1987.Songdevelop-mentintheWhite-crownedSparrow:Modificationoflearnedsong.Anim.Behav.35:961-974.
TUBARO,P.L.1990.Aspectoscausalesy funcionalesdelospatronesdevariacióndelcantodelChingolo(Zo-notrichiacapensis).Ph.D.dissertation,Univ.ofBuenosAires.
TUBARO,P.L.;E.T.SEGURA&P.HANDFORD.1993.Geo-graphicvariationinthesongoftheRufous-collaredSparrowineasternArgentina.Condor95:588-595.
TUBARO,P.L.&E.T.SEGURA.1994.DialectdifferenccsinthesongofZonotrichiacapensisinsouthernpam-pas:AtestoftheAcousticAdaptationHypothesis.Condor96:1084-1088.

How to cite

Pablo L. Tubaro, Paul T. Handford, Enrique T. Segura (1997). Song learning in the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis). El Hornero, Vol. 14 No. 4 (1997), 204-210. https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v14i4.965

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[1] BAPTISTA,L.F.;D.BELL&P.W.TRAIL.1993.Songlear-ningandproductioninthcWhite-crowncdSparrow:Parallelswithsexualimprinting.NetherlandsJour-nalofZoology43:17-33.

[2] BAPTISTA,L.F.&L.PETRINOVICH.1984.Socialinterac-tion,sensitivephasesandthesongtemplatehypothe-sisintheWhite-crownedSparrow.Anim.Behav.32:172-18I.

[3] BAPTISTA,L.F.&S.L.L.GAUNT.1997.In:Socialinte-ractionandvocaldevelopmentinbirds.[HausbergerandSnowdon(Eds.)].CambridgeUniversityPress.pp.23-40.

[4] BAPTISTA,L.F.&L.PETRINOVICH.1986.Songdcvelop-mentintheWhite-crownedSparrow:Socialfactorsandsexdifferences.Anim.Behav.34:1359-1371.

[5] CHILTON,G.,M.R.LEIN&L.F.BAPTISTA.1990.MatechoicebyfemaleWhite-crownedSparrowsinamixed-dialectpopulation.Behav.Ecol.Sociobiol.27:223·227.

[6] EGLI,W.1971.InvestigacionessobreelcantodeZono-trichiacapensischi/ensis(Meyen)(Aves,Passerifor-mes).Bol.Mus.Nac.Hist.Nat.Chile32:173-190.

[7] FOTHERINGHAM,J.R.1995.Differencesinsingingbeha-viorbetweenRufous-eollaredSparrowsinCostaRicaandnorthwesternArgentina.Condor97:821-826.

[8] HANDFORD,P.198l.VegetationalcorrelatesofvariationinthesongofZonotr;chiacapensis,innorthwesternArgentina.Behav.Ecol.Sociobíol.8:203-206.

[9] HANDFORD,P.1988.TrillratedialeetsintheRufous-co-llaredSparrow.Zonotrichiacapensis,innorthwes-ternArgentina.Can.J.lool.66:2658-2670.

[10] HANDFORD,P.&S.C.LOUGHEED.1991.Variationindu-rationandfrequencyeharactersinthesongoftheRu-fous-collaredSparrow,Zonorr;chiacapens;s,withrespecttohabitat,triJIdialectsandbodysize.Con-dor93:644-658.

[11] HANDFORD,P.&F.NOTTEBOHM.1976.AllozymieandmorphologicalvariationinpopulationsamplesofRufous-collaredSparrow,Zonotrlch;acapensis,inrelationtovocaldialects.Evolutlon30:802-817.

[12] KING,J.R.1972.VariationinthesongoftheRufous-collaredSparrow,Zonorrichiacapensis,innorthwes-tcrnArgentina.l.Tierpsychol.30:344-373.

[13] KROODSMA,D.E.1982.Learningandtheontogenyofsoundsignalsinbirds,p.1-23.In:D.E.KroodsmaandE.H.Miller(cds.],Acousticcommunicationinbirds.Vol.2.AcademicPress,NewYork.

[14] LOUGHEED,S.C.;P.HANDFORD&A.J.BAKER.1993.Mi-tochondrialDNAhyperdiversityandvocaldialectsina subspeciestransitionoftheRufous-collaredSpa-rrow.Condor95:889-895.

[15] LOUGHEED,S.C.;A.J. LOUGHEED;M.RAE&P. HANDFORD.1989.Analysisofadialectboundaryinchacovege-tationinthcRufous-collaredSparrow.Condor91:1002-1005.

[16] MARLER,P.&D.A.NELSON.1993.Action-basedlear-ning:Anewformofdevelopmentalplasticityinbirdsong.NetherlandsJournalofloology43:91-103.

[17] MUNDINGER,P.C.1982.Microgeographicandmaerogeo-graphievariationinacquiredvocalizationsofbirds,p.147-208.In:D.E.KroodsmaandE.H.Miller(eds.],Acousticcommunicationinbirds.Vol.2.Aca-demicPress,NewYork.

[18] NELSON,D.A.&P.MARLER.1994.Selection-basedlear-ninginbirdsongdevelopment.Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.USA91:10498-10501.

[19] NOTTEBOHM,F.1969.ThesongoftheChingolo,Zono-trichiacapensis,inArgentina:Descriptionandeva-luationofasystemofdialects.Condor71:299-315.

[20] NOTTEBOHM,F.1975.Continentalpatternsofsongvaria-bilityinZonotrichiacapensis:Somepossibleecolo-gicalcorrelates.Am.Nat.109:605-624.

[21] PETRINOVICH,L.1985.Factorsinfluencingsongdevelo-pmentintheWhile-crownedSparrow(Zonotrichialeucophrys).1.Comp.Psychol.99:15-29.

[22] PETRINOVICH,L.&L.F.BAPTISTA.1987.Songdevelop-mentintheWhite-crownedSparrow:Modificationoflearnedsong.Anim.Behav.35:961-974.

[23] TUBARO,P.L.1990.Aspectoscausalesy funcionalesdelospatronesdevariacióndelcantodelChingolo(Zo-notrichiacapensis).Ph.D.dissertation,Univ.ofBuenosAires.

[24] TUBARO,P.L.;E.T.SEGURA&P.HANDFORD.1993.Geo-graphicvariationinthesongoftheRufous-collaredSparrowineasternArgentina.Condor95:588-595.

[25] TUBARO,P.L.&E.T.SEGURA.1994.DialectdifferenccsinthesongofZonotrichiacapensisinsouthernpam-pas:AtestoftheAcousticAdaptationHypothesis.Condor96:1084-1088.