Male sparrows are less intimidated by the songs of aging rivals

The same singing that marks a male as 'the guy to beat' at age two signals that he's 'obsolete' by age 10

Date: January 17, 2020

Source: Duke University

Few singers reach their sunset years with the same voice they had in younger days. Singing sparrows are no different. Duke University-led research reveals that elderly swamp sparrows don't sound quite like they used to -- nor do they strike the same fear in other males who may be listening in.

Humans are remarkably good at guessing a person's age just by hearing their voice. But this is the first time the phenomenon has been demonstrated in wild animals, said Duke biology professor and study co-author Steve Nowicki.

The findings were published on January 7 in the journal Behavioral Ecology.

During the early spring, a male swamp sparrow stakes out a breeding territory and threatens any male who dares to trespass on his turf. If a potential rival enters another male's territory and starts to sing, the resident male says "Get out!" by singing back with a rapid weet-weet-weet and flying toward the intruder. Eventually, if all else fails, he attacks.

Previous research by this team showed that male swamp sparrows reach their peak as vocalists at age two, and start to decline after that, singing less frequently and less consistently as they get older.

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Birds have time-honored traditions, too

Creating traditions that pass the test of time doesn't require exceptional smarts

Date:  June 20, 2018

Source:  Duke University

What makes human cultural traditions unique? One common answer is that we are better copycats than other species, which allows us to pass our habits and ways of life down through the generations without losing or forgetting them.

But a new study of birdsong finds that swamp sparrows are good impersonators too. And by faithfully copying the most popular songs, these birds create time-honored song traditions that can be just as long-lasting as human traditions, researchers say.

In fact, swamp sparrow song traditions often last hundreds of years, with some songs going back further than that.

"According to the models, some of the songs could go back as far as the Vikings," said first author Robert Lachlan, a lecturer in psychology at Queen Mary University of London.

The results appear June 20 in the journal Nature Communications.

The slow trill of the swamp sparrow can be heard in marshes and wetlands across eastern and central North America.

A grey-breasted bird with brownish wings, the swamp sparrow attracts mates and defends his territory with songs built from two- to five-note snippets, repeated over and over.

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Humans, sparrows make sense of sounds in similar ways: Complex set of cognitive skills

Date:

January 5, 2015

Source:

Duke University

Summary:

The song of the swamp sparrow -- a grey-breasted bird found in wetlands throughout much of North America -- is a simple melodious trill. But according to a new study swamp sparrows are capable of processing the notes that make up their simple songs in more sophisticated ways than previously realized -- an ability that may help researchers better understand the perceptual building blocks that enable language in humans.

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