Diel and Seasonal Variations of Vocal Behavior of the Neotropical White-Tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)

Cristian Pérez-Granados,Karl-L Schuchmann

doi:10.3390/d12100402

Cristian Pérez-Granados, Karl-L Schuchmann

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/d12100402

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Abstract

Current knowledge regarding the vocal behavior in tropical non-passerines is very limited. Here, we employed passive acoustic monitoring to study the vocal activity of the white-tipped dove (Leptotila verreauxi) at three sites over a year in the Brazilian Pantanal. The diel pattern of vocal activity showed a bimodal pattern, with significantly higher vocal activity after sunrise than during the other hours of the day, in agreement with prior studies on this species and other members of Columbidae. The species was vocally active throughout the year, but vocal activity was maximum during May-June and lowest during January-February. Relative air humidity was positively associated with vocal activity, which may be related to the improvement of sound transmission under more humid conditions, but it could also be related to foraging efficiency due to a higher availability of invertebrates on wetter days. Vocal activity was not related to the mean air temperature or daily rainfall. Acoustic monitoring proved to be a useful tool for monitoring this shy forest species, for which a minimum number of three monitoring days was needed to detect a reliable vocal activity rate. Future studies should evaluate its use for monitoring other species of doves and pigeons that are secretive or threatened.

Highlights

The study of avian acoustics has attracted the interest of ornithologists for centuries [1,2]
We selected the white-tipped dove as a study species because we aimed to improve our understanding about the vocal behavior of tropical non-passerines, and because its secretive behavior combined with its particular call suggests that the use of passive acoustic monitoring might be a potential solution for obtaining new life history information on this enigmatic species
The species was detected at the three acoustic monitoring stations, with a variable was 78.5%

Summary

Introduction

The study of avian acoustics has attracted the interest of ornithologists for centuries [1,2]. The vocal activity of birds is influenced by a large number of endogenous (e.g., breeding status and hormones; [6]) and exogenous factors (e.g., photoperiod, weather, moonlight, and background noise; [7]). The study of diel and seasonal patterns in the vocal activity of birds may provide valuable information on the ecology of the monitored species and the context of vocal behavioral responses. Despite the large number of studies addressing this topic [5,7], much work is still needed. The lack of knowledge regarding avian vocal behavior is apparent for tropical birds since they are less studied than birds from temperate zones [7,8].

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