Song recognition by territorial male buntings ( Passerin A)

Abstract

Summary The songs of several closely related species of buntings were played to territorial, male painted buntings and indigo buntings, and the measure of their territorial responsiveness to songs and to dummies was taken as a measure of the birds' ability to distinguish their own song from those of other species. The painted buntings showed a high degree of responsiveness to songs and a dummy of their own species, but little or none to songs and dummies of indigo buntings, lazuli buntings, varied buntings, and orange-breasted buntings. The indigo buntings responded vigorously to songs of their own species, mildly to some lazuli bunting songs, but not to others, and not at all to painted bunting song. The spacing of the song figures, or the ‘tempo’ of the song, and the frequency range of the figures seem to be the most critical factors involved in song recognition. The actual shape of the song figures seems to be of relatively little importance to species recognition in the indigo bunting.