Definition and function of two song types of the bush Warbler(Cettia diphone borealis)

Abstract

It has been suggested that the bush warbler (Cettia diphone borealis) uses different song types in various situations. We analyzed song features and conducted playback experiments in order to reveal the function of songs of the bush warbler. Two song types were identified. The short song type has a shorter song duration than that of normal song types and consists of only one or two syllables. Due to its short syllable and low amplitude of the whistle portion, we were able to discriminate the short song type (S song type) from the normal song type (N song type). In the playback experiments, bush warblers sang high rates of short song type for the first three minutes after playback. After 6 minutes of playback, males changed to singing normal songs. These results suggest that the short song of the bush warbler may function to threaten or drive off intruding males