Female manakins use male mating call when implanted with male hormones

Date:  February 6, 2019

Source:  Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Among the first things that stand out about golden-collared manakins, a bird found in Panama and western Colombia, are the acrobatics of male adults during breeding season. Males also emit a particular call, the 'chee-poo', to attract females. In a new paper published in Animal Behaviour, Smithsonian researchers Ioana Chiver and Barney Schlinger explore the role of androgens -- male hormones -- in the expression of this vocal behavior, by administering testosterone to females and juvenile males.

In previous research by these scientists, testosterone implants motivated juvenile males to perform all the courtship acrobatics of male adults, while females performed some of them. Thanks to video recordings of these behaviors, she was able to extract the vocalizations made by female manakins and juvenile males that were administered testosterone. She then compared them to the vocalizations of untreated females, untreated juvenile males, as well as adult males in the wild.

When implanted with testosterone, female manakins were able to produce the male-specific 'chee-poo' vocalization, while untreated females were not. This may indicate that the neuromuscular systems associated with this mating call are present in the females or that they can be quickly developed in response to a male hormone, such as testosterone.

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Vital Central American wetland under threat from developers

Panama's Upper Bay a vital stop over for 2 million birds

December 2012. One of the most important coastal wetlands in the Americas is under threat. The Upper Bay of Panama, an Important Bird Area, is a vital stopover site for migrating shorebirds. Up to two million individuals of 30 species use it on their way south after breeding.

Ramsar site but protected status has been withdrawn
The bay was declared a Ramsar site (Wetland of International Importance) in 2003, and included in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network in 2005. In 2009, over 80,000 ha of the Panama Bay Wetland became a National Protected Area. However, in May this year, legal protected status was withdrawn because of pressure for urban and resort development, including hotels and golf courses. At the same time, regulations on mangrove cutting have been relaxed. Developers are reported to be at work within the Ramsar site boundary.

The bay provides essential ecosystem services to the people of Panama. It acts as a "nursery" for fish and shellfish, contributing $86 million a year to the country's economy in commercial fishing revenues. The wetlands and mangroves also filter and purify sewage and industrial effluent, preventing them entering the marine food chain, and act as a buffer protecting the city from flooding and extreme weather.

ACT TODAY AND WRITE YOUR CONCERNS TO THE PANAMANIAN GOVERNMENT.

BirdLife Partner the Panama Audubon Society and a coalition of local and international environmental groups including National Audubon (BirdLife Partner in the USA) are taking legal action for protected status to be restored, and working with local communities to make sure their voices are heard.

"If these wetlands are lost, you break the chain of wetlands shorebirds need for successful migrations", says Rosabel Miro, Panama Audubon's executive director.

"This sets a dangerous precedent, not just for Panama but for the entire region", warned Matt Jeffery, senior manager of National Audubon's International Alliance's Program.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/panama-wetlands.html