Abstract
Orange-fronted conures use individually distinctive contact calls (chees) to mediate social interactions. During vocal exchanges, individuals are known to imitate each other's contact calls. Chees are most often given singularly, but also occur in doublets, known as double chees. We used interactive playback to assess the function of double chees in imitative contexts. By using stimuli with varying levels of similarity between the chees within a double chee, we found that wild-caught conures held for short periods in an aviary imitate the second chee of the double chee more than the first chee. This suggests that the more relevant information in mediating the exchange is contained in the second chee, and the first serves some alternative function. Double chees do not increase the overall intensity of an interaction, nor do they improve the overall accuracy of imitation. However, double chees may serve a role in signaling and directing changes during chee exchanges.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
