Skip Navigation


Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on October 13, 2006
Behavioral Ecology 2007 18(1):130-136; doi:10.1093/beheco/arl058
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Lay Summary
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
18/1/130    most recent
arl058v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (19)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Byers, B. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Byers, B. E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Extrapair paternity in chestnut-sided warblers is correlated with consistent vocal performance

Bruce E. Byers

Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA

Address correspondence to B.E. Byers. E-mail: bbyers{at}bio.umass.edu.


  Abstract

The elaborateness of many bird songs is commonly presumed to have evolved under the influence of sexual selection by female mate choice. Thus, aspects of acoustic diversity, such as song repertoire size, are seen as likely targets of female choice. In many songbird species with song repertoires, however, the repertoires are small. In such species, female choice might be based on song features other than, or in addition to, song diversity. To investigate this conjecture, I assessed singing and paternity in a population of chestnut-sided warblers (Dendroica pensylvanica), a species in which song repertoires are of modest size. Twenty-two song traits were evaluated to determine which ones best predicted male extrapair reproductive success. The candidate traits encompassed measures of song diversity (e.g., song repertoire size), gross-scale song performance (e.g., singing rate), and fine-scale song performance (e.g., variability among songs in a bout). Regression analysis revealed that the best predictor of extrapair success was singing with little variability. In particular, the most successful males sang with consistent pitch and timing, as well as high pitch. The greater extrapair success of males with more consistent vocal performance may be due to female preference for such performance, which could be an indicator of male quality.

Key words: birdsong, extrapair paternity, mate choice, songbird, vocal performance, warbler.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
L. Z. Garamszegi, S. Calhim, N. Dochtermann, G. Hegyi, P. L. Hurd, C. Jorgensen, N. Kutsukake, M. J. Lajeunesse, K. A. Pollard, H. Schielzeth, et al.
Changing philosophies and tools for statistical inferences in behavioral ecology
Behav. Ecol., November 2, 2009; (2009) arp137v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc R Soc BHome page
E. J. Mockford and R. C. Marshall
Effects of urban noise on song and response behaviour in great tits
Proc R Soc B, August 22, 2009; 276(1669): 2979 - 2985.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
G. C. Cardoso, J. W. Atwell, E. D. Ketterson, and T. D. Price
Song types, song performance, and the use of repertoires in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis)
Behav. Ecol., July 1, 2009; 20(4): 901 - 907.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc R Soc BHome page
S. R. de Kort, E. R.B. Eldermire, S. Valderrama, C. A. Botero, and S. L. Vehrencamp
Trill consistency is an age-related assessment signal in banded wrens
Proc R Soc B, June 22, 2009; 276(1665): 2315 - 2321.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
S. R. de Kort, E. R. B. Eldermire, E. R. A. Cramer, and S. L. Vehrencamp
The deterrent effect of bird song in territory defense
Behav. Ecol., January 1, 2009; 20(1): 200 - 206.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
M.-J. Holveck, A. C. Vieira de Castro, R. F. Lachlan, C. ten Cate, and K. Riebel
Accuracy of song syntax learning and singing consistency signal early condition in zebra finches
Behav. Ecol., November 1, 2008; 19(6): 1267 - 1281.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
J. T. Sakata, C. M. Hampton, and M. S. Brainard
Social Modulation of Sequence and Syllable Variability in Adult Birdsong
J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2008; 99(4): 1700 - 1711.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.