eCommons

 

Effects of Age, Dominance, and Mating System on Vocal Consistency in Mockingbirds (Aves: Mimidae)

Other Titles

Abstract

While many studies have looked at selection for large repertoire sizes in birds, few have explored the potential for selection on the ability to sing each type in the repertoire consistently. I explored this issue by studying the consistency with which two closely related species of mockingbirds, i.e. the northern (Mimus polyglottos) and the tropical mockingbird (M. gilvus), repeated each syllable type. I hypothesized that if there is selection for singing ability and not just for an increase in repertoire size, it could be expected that syllable consistency should be (1) higher in older, more experienced individuals, (2) higher in species with higher potential for sexual selection via female choice (i.e. higher in the northern versus the tropical mockingbird) and (3) higher in males expected to be of higher quality (i.e. in dominant versus subordinate birds). I found that song consistency could be improved with practice because tropical mockingbirds became more consistent with age. When comparing across male types, I found that consistency was higher in northern and dominant tropical mockingbirds than in subordinate tropical mockingbirds (although the data suggests that dominant tropical mockingbirds that compete with subordinates for breeding may not be much better singers than these subordinates). I suggest that the lack of significant differences between northern mockingbirds and dominant tropical mockingbirds could be a product of a trade-off between repertoire size and singing consistency because as the number of types in a repertoire increases, the opportunities to practice each type are reduced.

Journal / Series

Volume & Issue

Description

Sponsorship

Date Issued

2007-06-21T17:09:39Z

Publisher

Keywords

Location

Effective Date

Expiration Date

Sector

Employer

Union

Union Local

NAICS

Number of Workers

Committee Chair

Committee Co-Chair

Committee Member

Degree Discipline

Degree Name

Degree Level

Related Version

Related DOI

Related To

Related Part

Based on Related Item

Has Other Format(s)

Part of Related Item

Related To

Related Publication(s)

Link(s) to Related Publication(s)

References

Link(s) to Reference(s)

Previously Published As

Government Document

ISBN

ISMN

ISSN

Other Identifiers

Rights

Rights URI

Types

dissertation or thesis

Accessibility Feature

Accessibility Hazard

Accessibility Summary

Link(s) to Catalog Record