Vocal Variation Research Articles

ANALYSIS OF EXPLAINING STUDENT SKILLS THROUGH ONLINE PEER ASSESSMENT

This study aims to determine the explaining skill of PGMI students through online peer assesment. Research methods used qualitative research with a descriptive approach.Result of this research of students explaining skill through online peer assesment: (1) using language that easily understand was 97%; (2) mastering material was 90,9%; (3) using examples related to the material was 93,9%; (4) using vocal variations was 75,8%; (5) voice emphasis to certain terms was 69,7%; (6) repeated subject matter was 52,5%; (7) build interaction with students was 97%; (8) Allow student to ask was 51,5% and (9) concluding material was 66,7%. The explaining skill of students through online peer assesment was in “skilled” category. It means explaining skill students in science learning need to improve.

La voix de l’Autre. Singularités et altérités vocales dans les contacts entre Byzantins et leurs voisins occidentaux (IXe-XIIe s.)

AbstractEven though our sources globally make it difficult to hear the voices of individuals during the mid-Byzantine period, some of them give us a few insights, notably when Byzantine authorities are confronted with Western neighbours. Indeed, Byzantine singing and liturgic practices are frequently mentioned in Latin sources. They are often associated with other aspects of what one may call a “sound landscape”, and they are presented in a positive manner. But laughter and pronunciation are vocal variations that are usually more criticized in the perception ‘Latins’ and Byzantines have of each other. Furthermore, when political and military tensions arise, variations in the tone of voice of the Other can be severely judged and condemned. Finally, very often, voices heard within the context of encounters between ‘Latins’ and ‘Greeks’ may be associated with questions of order and disorder according to Byzantine authors.

Vocal level and vocal effort variability across phrase types

Vocal effort is the most common symptom that in patients with voice disorders and decreasing vocal effort is often a therapeutic goal. Previous studies indicate that a vocal effort goal can elicit voice production with very similar acoustic parameters. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effort and acoustic parameter dependencies on different types of phrases elicited with different goals. Three types of speech (automatic, read, structured spontaneous) were elicited at using three communication goals (confidential, conversational, raised) with vocal effort quantified using a Borg CR100 scale. Participants’ vocal level reliably changed between the three elicited communication goals. Further, there was some trending differences depending on the length and type of speech. Further details will be presented. The results indicate the utility of the Borg CR100 in tracking effort in voice production that is repeatable with respect to vocal level (dB). Additional acoustic parameters as well as speech differences will be discussed.

Methods for investigation of L2 speech rhythm: Insights from the production of English speech rhythm by L2 Arabic learners

Rhythm metrics can detect second language development of target-like speech rhythm but interpretation of the results from metrics in learners’ speech is problematic because the mapping of metrics to underpinning phonological features is indirect. We investigate speech rhythm in first language (L1) Arabic / second language (L2) English, which differ in key properties contributing to the percept of rhythm: unstressed vowel reduction and syllable structure. Our production data are interpreted using additional measures, of stressed and unstressed vowels and of consonant cluster realization, alongside standard rhythm metrics; this combination facilitates disambiguation of competing interpretations of the metric results. The findings confirm the importance of using multiple rhythm metrics to study L2 speech rhythm and demonstrate how simple additional measures can guide interpretation of their results. In this study the metrics results showed that the speech produced by the L2 speakers, regardless of their length of residence in the UK, exhibited lower vocalic durational variability than the speech produced by the native Arabic and English speakers. However, closer inspection of the degree of vowel reduction by the native and nonnative groups confirms that no single metric captures the complex nature of the observed L2 rhythm patterns. Future L2 studies are advised not to draw firm conclusions about the degree of vowel reduction and consonant cluster realization in L2 speech based solely on the results of the rhythm metrics.

Diversity of Underwater Vocalizations in Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis).

Sound communication is important for underwater species. The wild population of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) is listed as vulnerable. However, its vocalization, which can serve as the basis for ecological and evolutionary research, has not been studied. Here, we performed underwater recordings of 23 Chinese soft-shelled turtles of different ages and sexes and identified 720 underwater calls. The turtle calls were manually divided into 10 call types according to visual and aural inspection properties. The similarity test indicated that the manual division was reliable. We described the acoustic properties of the calls and the statistical analysis showed that the peak frequency of calls was significantly different between adult females and males, and also between subadults and adults. Similar to other aquatic turtles that prefer to live in deep water, Chinese soft-shelled turtles have a high vocal diversity and many harmonic calls, indicating that this highly aquatic species developed a variety of vocalizations to enhance their underwater communication, which helped them adapt to the complex and dim underwater environment. Furthermore, the turtles showed a tendency for vocalization to become more diverse with age.

Analysis of vocal communication in the genus Falco

Vocal learning occurs in three clades of birds: hummingbirds, parrots, and songbirds. Examining vocal communication within the Falconiformes (sister taxon to the parrot/songbird clade) may offer information in understanding the evolution of vocal learning. Falcons are considered non-vocal learners and variation in vocalization may only be the result of variation in anatomical structure, with size as the major factor. We measured syringes in seven Falco species in the collection at the American Museum of Natural History and compiled data on weight, wing length, and tail length. Audio recordings were downloaded from several libraries and the peak frequency and frequency slope per harmonic number, number of notes in each syllable, number of notes per second, duration of each note, and inter-note duration was measured. Mass, wing length, and syringeal measurements were strongly, positively correlated, and maximum frequency is strongly, negatively correlated with the size. Frequency slope also correlates with size, although not as strongly. Both note and inter-note length vary significantly among the seven species, and this variation is not correlated with size. Maximum frequency and frequency slope can be used to identify species, with the possibility that bird sounds could be used to identify species in the field in real time.

Bilingual acoustic voice variation: the case of Sorani Kurdish-Persian speakers

Many individuals around the world speak two or more than two languages. This phenomenon adds a fascinating dimension of variability to speech, both in perception and production. But do bilinguals change their voice when they switch from one language to the other? It is typically assumed that while some aspects of the speech signal vary for linguistic reasons, some indexical features remain unchanged across languages. Yet little is known about the influence of language on within- and between-speaker vocal variability. The present study investigated how acoustic parameters of voice quality are structured in two languages of a bilingual speaker and to what extent such features may vary between bilingual speakers. For this purpose, speech samples of 10 simultaneous Sorani Kurdish-Persian bilingual speakers were acoustically analyzed. Following a psychoacoustic model proposed by Kreiman (2014) and using a series of principal component analyses, we found that Sorani Kurdish-Persian bilingual speakers followed a similar acoustic pattern in their two different languages, suggesting that each speaker has a unique voice but uses the same voice parameters when switching from one language to the other.

Local features, local meanings: Language ideologies and place-linked vocalic variation among Jewish Chicagoans

AbstractResearch on Jewish English in the United States has drawn on a set of ideologies linking the Jewish ethnolinguistic repertoire to New York City English, but less is known about how these ideologies interface with the social meanings of regional features in the communities outside New York in which these speakers live. Through meta-linguistic commentary and acoustic analyses drawn from sociolinguistic interviews with white Jewish and Catholic Chicagoans, we find that meta-linguistic ideologies associate Jewish speakers with New York City English and white Catholic speakers with ‘local’ Chicago features. However, in actual production, these linguistic differences appear to be driven by neighborhood rather than ethnoreligious identity alone. We argue that while meta-linguistic commentary may re-circulate broader linguistic ideologies, the uptake of elements of the ethnolinguistic repertoire may depend on the social meanings of those features in the local community more broadly, including class- and place-linked variation. (Ethnolinguistic repertoire, place, Northern Cities Shift, Jewish English)*

Speech Rhythm in English and Italian: an Experimental Study on Early Sequential Bilingualism

The study investigates the dynamics of speech rhythm in early sequential bilingual children who have access to Italian-English immersion programs. The research focused on the Italian and English semi-spontaneous narrative productions of 9 students, aged between 6;7 and 10;11 and distributed across three different classes (Year 1, Year 3, Year 5). Their speech was recorded and subject to an interval-based analysis via computation of %V/ΔC, PVI and Varco metrics. The retrieved metrics underwent within-group and between-group one-way ANOVAs in order to identify valuable cross-linguistic variations among children of the same age and statistically significant differences between different age groups (Y1, Y3, Y5). The results appear to support a stress-centered interpretation of speech rhythm: according to this view, all languages could be arranged on a stress-timed continuum in which “syllable-timing” is marked by sparser occurrences of (regular) prominence due to the relative absence of vocalic elision and consonantal complexity. Indeed, the comparative analysis drawn between the normalized vocalic indexes of Y1, Y3 and Y5 students revealed a statistically relevant increase in vocalic variation phenomena both in Italian and in English. Moreover, Y1 and Y3 consonantal scores were comparatively higher in the Italian sample: it will be discussed how unpredictable stress-timed patterns can arise as a function of proficiency, speech-rate and age-related disfluencies.

Development trends of variety art during the wartime

The relevance of the article. Currently, at the stage of the war in Ukraine, we simply cannot underestimate the power that the domestic variety vocal art can bring and develop. It can raise the spirit of the Ukrainian people and for the sake of uniting everybody against foreign aggression. Therefore, the study of creativity of domestic performers during the war is undoubtedly the most relevant topic in modern music.
 The purpose of the article is to study the functioning of variety vocal art during wartime in the musical space of Ukraine at the current stage. This purpose leads us to solve certain tasks that will help to explore different aspects of this process. Namely, to conduct an analysis of the contemporary creativity of Ukrainian artists in a patriotic context and to single out the main trends according to which the variety art of the country is currently develo-ping, in order to realize its importance for defeating the enemy.
 The methodology. The following general and special approaches are used in the work: comparative-analytical, structural-functional, induction and empirical approach. All the mentioned approaches made it possible to consider the problems of the article more comprehensively and reveal its tasks.
 The results. The activity of Ukrainian artists during the wartime is considered. It was noted that for domestic performers, the writing and implemen-tation of motivational compositions dictated by the modern realities of war is a mandatory element of their creativity, because their main task is to inspire with songs for victory and raise the spirit of the Ukrainian people.
 The importance of events, both regarding volunteer concerts for soldiers and performances at special fundraising events to help the Armed Forces in our country and abroad, was emphasized.
 The scientific novelty. The main trends in the functioning and development of the vocal variety art at the modern stage in Ukraine were identified. It has been proven that the activities of domestic artists are an important inspiring aspect for society. The importance of all considered trends for the country’s victory was also analyzed.
 The practical significance. The results obtained in the course of the research can be useful, in particular, for variety performers, as well as for studying such courses as the history and theory of modern music of Ukraine, the history and theory of vocal performance, and for understanding the important directions of the development of variety vocal art during the war.
 Conclusions. Having examined the panorama of the functioning of the domestic variety art nowadays, certain vector trends in the variety music art were identified, which shape its general development during the wartime.
 Thus, modern songs of our Ukrainian artists are energetically charged for success and help compatriots not to break down and to be filled with energy from music and lyrics that give strength to the people and inspire victory, and allow people all over the world to notice and feel what is currently happening in our country, so that everyone feels the strength and invincible spirit of our people. So, we can safely claim that variety music during martial law becomes the necessary heart of the nation, which even during war should fight and inspire life and victory, because song is the heart of the Ukrainian people.

Correlated evolution of wing morphology and echolocation calls in bats

IntroductionFlight and echolocation are two crucial behaviors associated with niche expansion in bats. Previous researches have attempted to explain the interspecific divergence in flight morphology and echolocation vocalizations in some bat groups from the perspective of foraging ecology. However, the relationship between wing morphology and echolocation vocalizations of bats remains obscure, especially in a phylogenetic context.ObjectivesHere, we aimed to assess the correlated evolution of wing morphology and echolocation calls in bats within a phylogenetic comparative framework.MethodsWe integrated the information on search-phrase echolocation call duration, peak frequency, relative wing loading, aspect ratio, and foraging guilds for 152 bat species belonging to 15 families. We quantified the association among wing morphology, echolocation call parameters, and foraging guilds using phylogeny-based comparative analyses.ResultsOur analyses revealed that wing morphology and echolocation call parameters depended on families and exhibited a marked phylogenetic signal. Peak frequency of the call was negatively correlated with relative wing loading and aspect ratio. Call duration was positively correlated with relative wing loading and aspect ratio among open-space aerial foragers, edge-space aerial foragers, edge-space trawling foragers, and narrow-space gleaning foragers. Wing morphology, call duration, and peak frequency were predicted by foraging guilds.ConclusionThese results demonstrate that adaptive response to foraging ecology has shaped the correlated evolution between flight morphology and echolocation calls in bats. Our findings expand the current knowledge regarding the link between morphology and vocalizations within the order Chiroptera.

Classification of group-specific variations in songs within House Wren species using machine learning models

Songbirds have shown variation in vocalizations across different populations and different geographical ranges. Such variations can over time lead to divergence in song characteristics, sometimes referred to as dialects. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) is one such widely distributed bird species that has shown variation in its song characteristics within different populations. Traditionally, such studies have been conducted using manual approaches for classification. In this work we explore the use of machine learning models that can assist in performing classification of bird songs at a conspecific level. Two machine learning techniques, the random forest and a shallow feed forward neural network, are fed with pre-computed sound features to classify vocal variation in House Wren species across different reported population groups and latitudinal areas. A randomized approach is employed to create balanced subsets of sounds from different locations for repeated classification runs in order to provide a reliable estimate of performance. It is observed that such an automated approach is able to classify variations in songs within House Wren with high accuracy. We were also able to confirm the latitudinal variation of House Wren songs reported in previous studies. Given these results, we believe, such a purely data-driven way of analyzing bird songs in general can provide useful hints to biologists on where to look for interesting patterns in order to understand the evolutionary divergence in song characteristics.

Towards automatic detection and classification of orca (Orcinus orca) calls using cross‐correlation methods

AbstractOrcas (Orcinus orca) are known for complex vocalization. Their social structure consists of pods with unique call repertoires and clans sharing vocal traditions. Call repertoires are typically established visually and aurally and are used for pod identification. Automatic tools are, however, more suited for large data sets. An Icelandic orca pod occurring in 2019 in the Ligurian Sea provided a unique occasion for collecting recordings of an isolated pod in natural conditions. Recordings were analyzed visually and aurally to create a pod catalog. The R package “warbleR” was used for the first time on a small subsample of orca data to automatically detect sound samples and classify sound types. We found cross‐correlation methods with the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) to successfully classify sound types, though false positives occur. We compared our catalog to Icelandic and Antarctic ones checking for similarities and dissimilarities. We found five matches in the Icelandic catalog, two of which had high PCCs ranges (0.62–0.67; 0.60–0.65). Our automatic approach was limited by background noise and variability of orca vocalizations, and it was computationally demanding. We show cross‐correlation methods with the PCC can be a powerful tool to verify audio‐visual repertoire matches between orca from different regions.

The evolution of primate vocal communication: a social route

There is no doubt that different factors determine the evolutionary trajectory of a species' communication abilities. Beyond habitat, social life is likely a selection pressure. The hypothesis positing that living in a complex social system requires complex communication skills has gained ground. However, the measures used classically to tackle this question (i.e. number of call types and group size) fail to capture some of the subtleties of the evolution of communication systems. Integrative approaches comparing closely related species to highlight the possible relationship between the characteristics of their social systems, their ecological niche and associated vocal communication systems are required to further our understanding of this evolutionary puzzle. We first addressed this topic in two sympatric guenons, Diana monkeys and Campbell’s monkeys. Interspecies competition, and the niche specialisations this creates, appeared to be a key evolutionary driver of their repertoires. While most of their vocal units were shared, we found a diversification of alarm calls and socially meaningful vocal combinations, as well as a differential use of inconspicuous (less detectable) call structures. This was linked to differences in group size and degree of exposition to predators. Secondly, we compared the acoustic structures in macaques belonging to four species with contrasting social styles. We found that tolerant (Tonkean and crested) macaques displayed higher levels of vocal diversity (number of vocal units) and flexibility (degree of gradation) than intolerant (Japanese and rhesus) macaques in agonistic and affiliative (but not neutral) contexts. Lastly, because the core of communication is represented not only by what is expressed by an isolated caller, but also by the way vocal interactions are structured, we explored ‘conversational rules’ in apes. We found no relationship between classical social (group size, interaction rates) and vocal (repertoire size, call rates) complexity metrics. However, close call interaction patterns differed in line with the nature of societies. Orang-utan, the most solitary species, preferentially used repeated and isolated calls apparently outside of any vocal interactions. Chimpanzee, the most competitive species displayed a high proportion of overlapping vocalisations. Vocal turn-taking predominated in the most tolerant species (bonobo and gorilla). Even if primate vocal repertoires change slowly over evolutionary time, making them good phylogenetic indicators, socio-ecological niches may induce considerable local divergence at different levels: vocal repertoire composition, acoustic structure and contextual use of calls, and vocal interaction patterns.

Bright Voice Quality and Fundamental Frequency Variation in Non-binary Speakers

1) To investigate if vocal variation produced by assigned-female-at-birth (AFAB) non-binary people differed from vocal variation produced by cisgender (cis) participants. Cue values produced by non-binary participants were predicted to differ from those values produced by cisgender participants. 2) To determine if previous subjective assessments of bright voice quality in AFAB non-binary participants were quantifiable, and if so, if non-binary and cisgender participants differed in their voice quality production. A quantitative comparative research design. Phonetic and statistical analyses of continuous speech samples produced by AFAB non-binary and cisgender participants. Vocal cues were mean fundamental frequency (F0) and bright voice quality, measured by cepstral peak prominence-smoothed and spectral slope, with speaker gender as the predictor. At the group level, non-binary participants produced intermediate F0 values - significantly lower than the cis women's and significantly higher than the cis men's. Individually, the majority of non-binary participants produced mean F0 in this intermediate range. Non-binary participants produced significantly less negative spectral slope and higher cepstral peak prominence-smoothed, indicative of a brighter, more resonant voice quality. Individual-level results indicated that vocal training and vocal tract physiology did not fully account for the results found. Participants' agency, particularly their motivation to alter vocal output to avoid being misgendered, has an effect on the AFAB non-binary participants' F0 production and potentially their voice quality. The majority of AFAB non-binary participants uniquely produced the cue combination of intermediate F0 and bright voice quality.

Chimpanzee pant-hoots encode individual information more reliably than group differences.

Vocal learning, the ability to modify the acoustic structure of vocalizations based on social experience, is a fundamental feature of speech in humans (Homo sapiens). While vocal learning is common in taxa such as songbirds and whales, the vocal learning capacities of nonhuman primates appear more limited. Intriguingly, evidence for vocal learning has been reported in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), for example, in the form of regional variation ("dialects") in the "pant-hoot"calls. This suggests that some capacity for vocal learning may be an ancient feature of the Pan-Homo clade. Nonetheless, reported differences have been subtle, with intercommunity variation representing only a small portion of the total acoustic variation. To gain further insights into the extent of regional variation in chimpanzee vocalizations, we performed an analysis of pant-hoots from chimpanzees in the neighboring Kasekela and Mitumba communities at Gombe National Park, Tanzania, and the geographically distant Kanyawara community at Kibale National Park, Uganda. We did not find any statistically significant differences between the neighboring communities at Gombe or among geographically distant communities. Furthermore, we found differences among individuals in all communities. Hence, the variation in chimpanzee pant-hoots reflected individual differences, rather than group differences. Thus, we did not find evidence of dialects in this population, suggesting that extensive vocal learning emerged only after the lineages of Homo and Pan diverged.

Traditional pop song: conceptualization of the concept

The purpose of the research. The study attempts to conceptualize the definition of «traditional pop song» from the standpoint of contemporary musical variety studies. The research methodology is based on the use of historical, cultural, systemic, contextual, and analytical methods, the combination of which made it possible to determine the specific features of the traditional Ukrainian pop song. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time in Ukrainian science the concept of «traditional pop song» is conceptualized. Conclusions. The traditional pop song occupies a significant place in the Ukrainian cultural space, while it has not yet been comprehended as a cultural and artistic phenomenon in Ukrainian science. Based on the selection of three parameters (socio-cultural, age and style), the specifics of the Ukrainian traditional pop song were revealed. It is revealed that its stylistic features were formed during the 1950–1970s. («classic pop song»), in the 1980s. there has been a process of stabilization, since the 1990s. the identification of the traditional pop song as a specific, conservative stylistic direction begins, which focused on the achievements of the classical Ukrainian pop song and opposed the influences of the Western trends of popular music, trying to preserve the originality of the Ukrainian musical variety art. The fundamental non-commercial nature of the traditional pop song is rooted in the art of the Soviet era and is the opposite of show business with its desire to quickly update musical styles. During the period of active development of the commercial direction of pop music in the 1990s. the traditional pop song was considered archaic and opposed to the «fashionable» directions of «youth music». Today, this opposition is not relevant: the traditional pop song as a stylistic direction based on the aesthetics of the second half of the 20th century is popular among performers and listeners of all ages. The stylistic diversity of the traditional pop song is associated with a long time of formation of the Ukrainian classical pop and its artistic achievements. Therefore, despite a certain conservatism, the Ukrainian traditional pop song is a significant layer of Ukrainian musical culture.
 Key words: variety musical art, vocal variety art, Ukrainian musical tradition, traditional Ukrainian pop song.

Neighbors matter: Vocal variation in Gentoo Penguins depends on the species composition of their colony

Abstract When suitable nesting habitat is rare, birds may have to share it with heterospecific individuals with similar nesting requirements. The resulting species mosaic may in turn affect how breeding birds communicate vocally with each other. For instance, they may modify their vocalizations if the ambient noise produced by heterospecifics interferes with their own vocalizations. The colonies of Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua ellsworthi) are interesting to examine whether such a vocal variation occurs in colonial seabirds, as these birds frequently breed in the same colony as Adélie (P. adeliae) or Chinstrap (P. antarcticus) penguins. We investigated whether the presence of congeneric penguins breeding in the same colony as Gentoo Penguins affected the acoustic characteristics of their most common vocalization, the ecstatic display call. Based on vocalizations recorded in 23 breeding colonies along the Antarctic Peninsula during 3 field seasons, we found that the frequency of ecstatic display calls of Gentoo Penguins was consistently lower (average exhale phrase ~460 Hz lower, average inhale phrase ~370 Hz lower) as well as decreased in energy distribution when they bred in mixed colonies with Adélie Penguins than when they bred only in proximity to conspecifics. In contrast, the frequency of both inhale and exhale phrases was unaffected by the presence of Chinstrap Penguins, potentially due to the already greater frequency difference between these 2 species. The apparent vocal plasticity, in mixed colonies with Adélie Penguins, likely allows Gentoo Penguins to adjust the quality of their vocalizations depending on the acoustic space available in their colonies, and hence possibly enhance signal transmission between conspecifics. However, whether this acoustic adjustment is sufficient to increase the detectability of vocalizations and localization of individuals has yet to be determined.

Predicting and Measuring Decision Rules for Social Recognition in a Neotropical Frog.

AbstractMany animals use signals to recognize familiar individuals but risk making mistakes because the signal properties of different individuals often overlap. Furthermore, outcomes of correct and incorrect decisions yield different fitness payoffs, and animals incur these payoffs at different frequencies depending on interaction rates. To understand how signal variation, payoffs, and interaction rates shape recognition decision rules, we studied male golden rocket frogs, which recognize the calls of territory neighbors and are less aggressive to neighbors than to strangers. We first quantified patterns of individual variation in call properties and predicted optimal discrimination thresholds using signal variation. We then measured thresholds for discriminating between neighbors and strangers using a habituation-discrimination field playback experiment. Territorial males discriminated between calls differing by 9%-12% in temporal properties, slightly higher than the predicted thresholds (5%-10%). Finally, we used a signal detection theory model to explore payoff and interaction rate parameters and found that the empirical threshold matched those predicted under ecologically realistic assumptions of infrequent encounters with strangers and relatively costly missed detections of strangers. We demonstrate that receivers group continuous variation in vocalizations into discrete social categories and that signal detection theory can be applied to understand evolved decision rules.

Breeding status shapes territoriality and vocalization patterns in spotted owls

Vocal territory defense can vary within a species due to many factors such as sex and breeding status, influencing territory size and thus population density across a landscape. Therefore, understanding what influences variation in territorial vocalizations can help to illuminate trade‐offs between territoriality and other life history demands, which benefits our general understanding of animal ecology as well as helps to inform emerging passive acoustic monitoring approaches. Here, we investigated how sex and breeding status affected territoriality and vocal behavior in the California spotted owl Strix occidentalis occidentalis in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, using high‐resolution acoustic/GPS tags. We discovered that territorial vocal behavior was related to breeding status and to a lesser extent sex. Breeding owls with fledged young had a less diverse vocal repertoire, produced fewer and quieter territorial calls, and typically called only when close to their nest. Males were also more likely to engage in territorial calling than females. Breeding spotted owls also maintained significantly smaller territories – but utilized larger home ranges – than non‐breeding individuals. Our results suggest that breeding spotted owls may reduce their investment in territorial behaviors to mitigate the demands and risks associated with rearing young. Further, our results have important implications for the passive acoustic monitoring of spotted owls and, more broadly, highlight the utility of using multiple call types to detect species of interest.