Abstract

Abstract I analyzed vocal signals of marked adult Brown Noddies (Anous stolidus) throughout their nesting season in the Dry Tortugas, Florida from 1979 to 1982. The basic unit of the adult repertoire is a wide-band click, less than 4 msec duration, ranging in frequency from 200 to 3,300 Hz. I identified nine temporal arrangements of these clicks, which form the notes of the calls. These calls differ little in frequency range, but they differ in the mean frequency of the most intense sound energy band, in note duration, in the number of clicks per note, and in internote interval. These calls are used in different contexts, which sometimes overlap. Frequency, note duration, and internote interval do not differ between sexes. Mean frequency and note length varied among individuals for some calls. No tonal elements characteristic of calls of Brown Noddy nestlings remain in the adult repertoire.

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