Abstract
Lovebirds are considered to be monogamous and to mate for life. Indeed, the particularly strong bond between Peak‐faced lovebird mates (Agapornis roseicollis), and its importance to social organization, led us to believe that acoustic recognition could be demonstrated simply and unequivocally, and the acoustic signature on which it was based studied in a straightforward manner, using a classical two‐choice mate‐versus‐other situation, in which the mate's calls (acoustically modified or unmodified controls) would invariably, or at least usually, be chosen. Processing of control data obtained over a 1‐yr period with the same individuals indicates that this is not the case. A source of large variation in responses to unmodified calls is correlated with changes in pairbond strength and preferences for individuals other than the mate. Responses vary from changes in selectivity according to the identity of the second bird in the choice experiment to “negative recognition,” i.e., outright rejection of the mate. The good news is that the field of acoustics continues to astound and amaze with its versatility and usefulness in a wide variety of domains.
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