BIO318Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Convergent Evolution, Great Tit, Song Sparrow
Document Summary
Types of avian communication: mating calls usually. Video: complex sounds, copies the sounds of at least 20 different species, incorporates other sounds it hears in the forest. Car alarm, camera shutter, chainsaw, etc: the bigger the repertoire, the more attractive the bird is, can recognize dialects of different species of birds. When they hear foreigners, they are very defensive: producing low noise and high noise, may take 2 years for cowbirds to know his song properly. Auditory signal processing: sending different signals, changes in amplitude and action potential, behavioural changes. Song sparrow sounds: song and calls area used for different things. How (and why?) is honesty maintained: more versions you can handle, the better off you are, if something is out of the ordinary to the residential bird, they will try to match their song of the intruder. It"s intimidating to the intruder because it signifies the bird is just as fit.