Signal value of alternating and overlapping singing in the Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella

Abstract

Interactive playback experiments were used to study the signal value of alternating and overlapping singing in the Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella. We carried out interactive playback experiments in which 13 males were subjects of two treatments that differed in temporal pattern of playback song delivery (alternating vs overlapping). We measured 12 parameters of males' response, belonging to three categories: song output, call output and mobility (distance from loudspeaker and flights). The results do not confirm the hypothesis that the overlapping pattern is a signal of stronger threat, as compared to the alternating pattern. Overlapping and alternating playbacks generally elicited a similar response, characteristic for highly aroused males. The only significant difference found concerned latency of approach to the loudspeaker during the playback stage. When playback alternated with songs of males, the birds gained higher scores on the axis of that response measure. Such a result was linked to differences in how the alternating and overlapping playbacks affect detection and localisation of simulated rivals, rather than to the signal's threat value itself. The strong response of Yellowhammer males is consistent with the high intrusion rate and possibility of extra-pair copulation in this species, which probably simplifies close-range communication towards more aggressive and unequivocal repelling of rivals irrespective of the temporal patterning of song.