Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and Quality
ABSTRACT Birdsong is a complex and highly flexible sexual signal that plays a crucial role in intra‐ and intersexual communication. Various aspects of the surrounding habitat can influence birdsong; for example, birds may modify their songs to enhance acoustic transmission, or males in high‐quality...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71510 |
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| _version_ | 1849415682683305984 |
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| author | Katalin Krenhardt Mónika Jablonszky Karola Anna Barta Miklós Laczi Gergely Nagy Sándor Zsebők László Zsolt Garamszegi |
| author_facet | Katalin Krenhardt Mónika Jablonszky Karola Anna Barta Miklós Laczi Gergely Nagy Sándor Zsebők László Zsolt Garamszegi |
| author_sort | Katalin Krenhardt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Birdsong is a complex and highly flexible sexual signal that plays a crucial role in intra‐ and intersexual communication. Various aspects of the surrounding habitat can influence birdsong; for example, birds may modify their songs to enhance acoustic transmission, or males in high‐quality territories with abundant food resources may produce more elaborated songs. However, these mechanisms remain largely unexplored in many natural systems. In our field study, we recorded the songs of male‐collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) in a Hungarian population, alongside detailed habitat variables reflecting structure and quality. We analysed song traits describing frequency, temporal structure and complexity. Habitat variables included canopy closure, Shannon diversity index of the tree species, mean trunk circumference of dominant tree species and tree health status. We revealed that mean song frequency was negatively associated with canopy closure. This result likely reflects birds adjusting the frequency of their songs to the acoustic properties of their environment, or it may be explained by quality‐dependent territory selection or the use of high‐performance songs to signal territory quality. Our results have implications for the study of sexual selection and how birds adapt to different environments and suggest that aspects of birdsong can reflect habitat quality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-292032e4a50a41e5b0f770f61823c71b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-292032e4a50a41e5b0f770f61823c71b2025-08-20T03:33:26ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-06-01156n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71510Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and QualityKatalin Krenhardt0Mónika Jablonszky1Karola Anna Barta2Miklós Laczi3Gergely Nagy4Sándor Zsebők5László Zsolt Garamszegi6Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany HUN‐REN Centre for Ecological Research Vácrátót HungaryEvolutionary Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany HUN‐REN Centre for Ecological Research Vácrátót HungaryBehavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest HungaryBehavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest HungaryEvolutionary Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany HUN‐REN Centre for Ecological Research Vácrátót HungaryEvolutionary Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany HUN‐REN Centre for Ecological Research Vácrátót HungaryEvolutionary Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany HUN‐REN Centre for Ecological Research Vácrátót HungaryABSTRACT Birdsong is a complex and highly flexible sexual signal that plays a crucial role in intra‐ and intersexual communication. Various aspects of the surrounding habitat can influence birdsong; for example, birds may modify their songs to enhance acoustic transmission, or males in high‐quality territories with abundant food resources may produce more elaborated songs. However, these mechanisms remain largely unexplored in many natural systems. In our field study, we recorded the songs of male‐collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) in a Hungarian population, alongside detailed habitat variables reflecting structure and quality. We analysed song traits describing frequency, temporal structure and complexity. Habitat variables included canopy closure, Shannon diversity index of the tree species, mean trunk circumference of dominant tree species and tree health status. We revealed that mean song frequency was negatively associated with canopy closure. This result likely reflects birds adjusting the frequency of their songs to the acoustic properties of their environment, or it may be explained by quality‐dependent territory selection or the use of high‐performance songs to signal territory quality. Our results have implications for the study of sexual selection and how birds adapt to different environments and suggest that aspects of birdsong can reflect habitat quality.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71510acoustic adaptationacoustic communicationcollared flycatcherhabitat qualityvegetation structure |
| spellingShingle | Katalin Krenhardt Mónika Jablonszky Karola Anna Barta Miklós Laczi Gergely Nagy Sándor Zsebők László Zsolt Garamszegi Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and Quality Ecology and Evolution acoustic adaptation acoustic communication collared flycatcher habitat quality vegetation structure |
| title | Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and Quality |
| title_full | Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and Quality |
| title_fullStr | Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and Quality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and Quality |
| title_short | Birdsong as an Indicator of Habitat Structure and Quality |
| title_sort | birdsong as an indicator of habitat structure and quality |
| topic | acoustic adaptation acoustic communication collared flycatcher habitat quality vegetation structure |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71510 |
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