DFH_UFA_Workshop2015_program

Workshop « Animal communication »
December 10-11, 2015
Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense
200 Avenue de la République 92000 Nanterre
Room 143 – BSL Building

PROGRAM
Thursday, December 10th
MORNING SESSION: chairman Sébastien DEREGNAUCOURT
9h30-10h: welcome!
10h-10h25: Thierry AUBIN
"How a non-song bird modulates its song when territorially challenged"
10h25-10h50: Tudor DRAGANOIU
“Neighbour recognition in a territorial songbird: individual recognition or acoustic similarity between
rival songs?”
10h50-11h25: coffee break
11h25-11h50: Pietro D’AMELIO
"Use of unlearned vocalizations in just met and established zebra finch forced pairs“
11h50-12h15: Lisa GILL
"Pair communication in group-living songbirds“
12h15-14h: lunch
AFTERNOON SESSION: chairman Manfred GAHR
14h-14h25: Sarah JEANNIN
"The vocal communication in human-pet dog interactions"
14h25-14h50: Maggie KO
“Sexual dimorphic and species specific transcriptomes of three songbird species”

14h50-15h15: Camila VILLAVICENCIO
"Environmental and social modulation of hormones and behavior in the black redstart"
15h45-16h10: Fanny RYBAK
“Study of long distance vocal interactions between males in a bird species with an exploded-lek
mating system by using embedded recording systems”
16h10-16h35: Agatha LIEVIN-BAZIN
"The role of food-sharing: a comparative study in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and jackdaws
(Corvus monedula)"
16h35-17h15: round-table
Friday, December 11th
MORNING SESSION: chairman Thierry AUBIN
10h-10h25: Lucille LE MAGUER
“Song learning and cognitive abilities in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)”
10h25-10h50: Rene QUISPE
"Mechanisms of seasonal song in an equatorial songbird"
11h25-11h50: Mariana ROCHA
"Effect of testosterone-induced song learning and relearning on dendritic spine density in female
canary HVC"
11h50-12h15: Lea ROUMAZEILLES
“Singing in the light”

12h15-14h: lunch
AFTERNOON SESSION: chairman Eric VALLET
14h-14h25: Ophélie BOUILLET
"Behavioural syndrome in common domesticated canaries, influence of photoperiod and heritability"
14h25-14h50: Pauline SALVIN
"Functions of female-specific vocalizations in a songbird"
14h50-15h15: Stefan LEITNER
“Song learning strategies in canaries change in relation to hatching date and song exposure”
15h15-16h: final remarks

How a non-song bird modulates its song when territorially challenged
Thierry AUBIN1, Hélène MALCUIT1,2 & Francesco BONADONNA2
1NeuroPSI, CNRS - UMR 9197, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France ; 2CEFE, CNRS –UMR 5175,
Montpellier, France
During the breeding period, numerous species of birds emit songs on a territory to repel males
and attract females. These songs can be categorized in spontaneous singing, when the bird
periodically indicates its presence on the territory, or in provoked singing, when the bird is
engaged in male-male competition. Some studies with oscines have highlighted acoustic
differences between spontaneous and provoked songs, differences which express a change of
emotional state from less aggressive to more aggressive. Do we find this phenomenon in non-
oscine birds? To answer to this question, we have taken as biological model a seabird from
the Procellariidae family, Halobaena caerulea. This nocturnal species regularly emits
spontaneous songs inside its burrow. To mimic a territorial intrusion we have played-back
songs of males at the entrance of the burrows, eliciting thus a vocal response of the tested
birds. By comparing spontaneous and provoked songs, we found differences between the two
signals, proving that non-oscines, as oscines, can code emotional information in their songs.

Behavioural syndrome in common domesticated canaries, influence of photoperiod and
heritability
Ophélie BOUILLET1,2,3 & Eric VALLET1,2,3
1Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre
La Défense, Nanterre, France ; 2Institut Francilien d’Ethologie ; 3Université Paris Lumières
The behavioural profile or « personality » is characterized by different individual’s behavioual
traits. They are constant through time and that, whatever the context. This study focuses on
such personality trait individual variations (aggressiveness, boldness, neophobia, obstinacy,
sociability, activity and the social status) in canaries. Results present behavioural syndromes
in canaries, adults and juveniles. There is an influence of the photoperiod and gender. We also
measured the heritability coefficient for each trait and results show that only obstinacy,
sociability and boldness are heritable.

Use of unlearned vocalizations in just met and established zebra finch forced pairs
Pietro D’AMELIO, Lisa TROST & Andries TER MAAT
Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen,
Germany
Bird vocalisation research has principally focused on songs, whereas the study of unlearned
calls has not been given proper attention. To understand the principles of Zebra Finch, and
avian, vocal communication, a thorough comprehension of call usage is necessary. Zebra
Finches emit thousands of calls daily. However, the exact number of call types, their functions
and their inter-individual interaction patterns are not fully described and understood. This lack
of knowledge mainly derives from the absence of appropriate tools for recording vocalizations
individually. We developed and used miniaturised backpack microphones to record the total
daily vocalisations of zebra finches pairs. This work had two primary aims: i) to quantify the
calling behaviour ii) to correlate the calling and the social behaviours of Zebra Finches’ pairs.
We used synchronised video and audio recordings to correlate the birds’ behaviour with their
vocalizations. Zebra Finch pairs are characterized by the presence of particular behaviours,
such as clumping and allopreening. We compared vocal and social aspects of the behaviour of
already formed pairs and birds that had not previously met before. We described their call
repertoire with high precision and found that it is similar among birds. Through quantitative
analysis of the timing of calls of the two pair members, we discovered that these are used in
bidirectional communication: pairs established precise patterns of alternated calling. Thus, we
are able to show that there is a choice in answering certain specific call types with other
specific calls with individual-specific precision. The quantitative description of calling
behaviour will allow us to describe and further elucidate the role of different regions of the
brain involved in vocal communication. Furthermore the different degree of uncertainty of
the response, a “call me maybe” effect, can depend on the motivation of the individual and
thus have important repercussions on mate choice studies.

Neighbour recognition in a territorial songbird: individual recognition or acoustic similarity
between rival songs?
Tudor I. DRAGANOIU1,2,3, Rémi CHAMBON1,2,3,4, Elodie SCHLOESING1,2,3,4 and Nicolas
MATHEVON4
1Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La
Défense, Nanterre, France ; 2Institut Francilien d’Ethologie ; 3Université Paris Lumières ;
4Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI, CNRS UMR 9197, Université de
Lyon/Saint-Etienne, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France
The ‘dear enemy’ effect, characterised by a lower aggressiveness towards neighbours than
towards strangers, was revealed by playback experiments in birds. However, only a few
studies tried to pinpoint the basis of this vocal discrimination process. On a proximal point of
view, this neighbour-stranger discrimination may rely either on the recognition of familiar
neighbours based on their individual vocal signatures or on a vocal code shared between
neighbours (local dialect). Here we investigate these two mechanisms in a territorial songbird
known for its local dialects, the black redstart Phoenicurus ochruros. Using playback
experiments we compared birds’ territorial responses to (i) the song of a familiar neighbour
sharing the same local dialect, (ii) the song of an unfamiliar bird that occupied a territory in
the vicinity several years ago but sharing the same local dialect and (iii) the song of a stranger
male singing a different dialect. Most males responded more aggressively to the unshared
songs of stranger males compared to the songs of familiar neighbours. Interestingly, half of
the tested birds responded to the shared songs belonging to unfamiliar birds as aggressively
as to the unshared songs, while the other half showed the same weak reaction as the one
induced by the familiar neighbours’ songs. It also appeared that birds pay attention to the
acoustic similarity between their own songs and their challenger’s songs, with more similar
songs eliciting less intense territorial reactions. Comparative studies should investigate if this
similarity index could more generally mediate intra-sexual aggressive interactions in
songbirds.
Keywords: black redstart - dear enemy effect - neighbour-stranger discrimination - individual
vocal recognition - song dialect - acoustic communication

Pair communication in group-living songbirds
Lisa GILL
Germany
Animal vocal communication has been extensively studied and there is wide evidence that it
plays a vital role for survival and reproduction in many species. However, the mechanisms and
function of vocal interactions between animals in natural contexts are largely unknown, as it
has been challenging to obtain reliable individual-level vocalisation recordings from freely
behaving animals, especially when interacting at close range. Similarly, many studies on
songbirds focused only on the conspicuous song and neglected calls despite their frequent
occurrence in social contexts, because they were difficult to record. In our study, we aimed at
investigating the role of different calls in naturally occurring vocal interactions of zebra finch
groups (Taeniopygia guttata) during different stages of the breeding cycle. For this, we used
wireless microphones to obtain long-term vocalisation recordings from individuals behaving
freely in groups in a changing social and abiotic environment. Accordingly, male and female
zebra finches previously unknown to each other were fitted with audio transmitters, placed
in large aviaries and provided with nest material. In combination with behavioural
observations, breeding success and hormone data, our results show that the birds, when
passing through different hormone-related breeding stages, modified their vocal behaviour
on the individual, pair and group level through changes in call-type repertoire and vocal
interaction patterns. In addition, we offer evidence that calling interactions between mates
may be related to successful breeding, thus highlighting the importance of calls in
communication systems.

The vocal communication in the human-pet dog interactions
Sarah JEANNIN1,2,3, Caroline GILBERT4, David REBY5 & Gérard LEBOUCHER1,2,3
Défense, Nanterre, France ; 2Institut Francilien d’Ethologie ; 3Université Paris Lumières 4UMR
7179, CNRS/MNHN, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (ENVA), Maisons-Alfort, France ;
5School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.
The Pet-Directed -Speech (PDS) is very similar to the Infant -Directed -Speech (IDS),
characterized by an exacerbated prosody with a high-pitched voice and a rising intonation
comparing to the Adult - Directed -Speech (ADS). In human and dogs, the human vocalizations’
perception is characterized by a specialization of the left hemisphere (LH) for processing
intelligible phonemic content whereas the right hemisphere (RH) is more sensitive to
emotional cues. The aims of our study: A) to explore if dogs react in a different way listening
to an IDS, PDS or ADS; B/ to assess the lateralization of dogs’ behavioral responses when
processing the same command enunciated in PDS or in ADS. In both cases, the study takes
place at the National Veterinary School of Alfort (ENVA). Method & Results A/ N= 71 dogs
were filmed when listening to a short diffusion of ADS, IDS and PDS and their behaviors were
video-coded. The results showed that dogs were significantly more attentive to PDS than to
ADS. Method & Results B/ 61 dogs were filmed when listening to this same diffusion of ADS,
PDS and a pink noise (control sound) in two conditions: in front of the camera and speakers
(condition 1) and back to the camera and speakers (condition 2). Using the head-turn
paradigm, the frequencies of dogs’ head orientation to the right (left hemispherical
processing) and to the left (right hemispherical processing) were calculated. The results
obtained showed only in condition 1 a) a right hemisphere bias for PDS stimuli, b) a random
tendency in dogs to turn their head both to the right and to the left when listening to a pink
noise (control sound) and c) no hemisphere bias was found for ADS stimuli. Thus, dogs do not
process the same command depending of the prosody used in the speech and react differently
to it.
Keywords: Vocal communication, dog, Pet-Directed-Speech, hemispherical bias

Sexual dimorphic and species specific transcriptomes of three songbird species
Meng-Ching KO, Carolina FRANKL-VILCHES, Antje BAKKER & Manfred GAHR
Germany
There exist more than 4000 of songbird species. Among those, singing occurs either only in
males (e.g. zebra finch), or in both males and females (e.g. forest weaver, cordon bleu, and
canary). In species in which both sexes sing, the song pattern might be monomorphic, as forest
weaver pairs sing in unison. On the other hand, in some species the song pattern is
characterized by various levels of sexual dimorphism. For instance, male cordon bleus have
better performance than females. Another example is canary, male canary sing highly
stereotypical songs in breeding season, however, females can also develop male-like songs
naturally although very rarely or artificially by testosterone manipulation. We compared the
gene expression of the song control nucleus HVC in contrast of the visual cortex entopallium
between males and females in three songbird species. We found that gene expression is
mainly governed by species difference even for genes that are expressed in all three species.
Further, we also found different levels of sexual dimorphic gene expression but it is not
correlated to the levels of difference in singing performance between males and females.
Moreover, the transcriptoms of testosterone-treated canaries deviated from normal canaries.
Finally, based on the differences between naturally occurring singing and none singing short
day female canaries, we obtained a short list of genes that might be necessary for song
production. By studying species and sex differences in gene expression our study could serve
as starting point for further functional investigation of the master genes in song production.

Song learning strategies in canaries change in relation to hatching date and song exposure
Stefan LEITNER
Germany
Most songbirds learn their songs from adult tutors, who can be their father or other male
conspecifics. However, the variables that control song learning in a natural social context are
largely unknown. We investigated whether time of hatching during the extended breeding
season has an impact on song development and neuroanatomy of the song control system of
male domesticated canaries. Song activity of adult tutor males decreased significantly during
the breeding season. While early hatched males were exposed to tutor songs for more than
three months, late hatched peers heard few adult songs only during the first six weeks after
hatching. Remarkably, although hatching late in the season negatively affected body
condition, no differences between both groups of males were found in song characteristics
either in autumn or in the following spring. Similarly, hatching date had no effect on song
nucleus size and circulating testosterone levels. These data suggest an accelerated song
development in late hatched males so that the limited adult tutor song exposure did not affect
song organization and song performance. Further, a flexible song learning strategy may be
advantageous for breeding decisions in unpredictable environments in wild populations.

Song learning and cognitive abilities in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
Lucille LE MAGUER1,2,3, Nicole GEBERZAHN1,2,3 & Sébastien DEREGNAUCOURT1,2,3,4
4Institut Universitaire de France
Despite a recent interest in studying cognitive abilities in oscine songbirds, few research
focuses on connecting these capacities to singing behaviour in general and to song learning in
particular. Song learning itself is a challenging cognitive task and there is evidence in many
oscine songbirds that sexual selection favours precisely-learned song. Recently, it has been
proposed that the accuracy with which songs are learned may serve as an indicator of other
cognitive abilities for females in mate choice decisions. Here we measured the performance
of adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in a cognitive task. We used male offspring
of a colony where founder males were originally selected to produce the same song. Using a
semi-automated procedure, we measured: 1) song similarity between the song of the
offspring and the founders; 2) song complexity. We observed an inter-individual variability in
the song: some individuals have learned to produce a very close copy of the founders’ song
while others produced a poor copy. We observed a positive correlation between the similarity
score and the song complexity index, suggesting that the most similar songs to the model are
also the most difficult to produce. We investigated whether these proxies of song learning
(similarity to the song model, complexity index) were linked to the cognitive abilities of the
males by evaluating their performance during a reversal learning (colour association) task. We
did not observe a significant correlation between proxies of song learning and male
performance to solve the cognitive task. These results do not support the idea that the
acoustic structure of song could signal cognitive skills in the Zebra Finch. However, additional
behavioural tests and song analysis are required in order to confirm that song learning is not
linked to other cognitive abilities in this species.
Keywords: Zebra Finch, song learning, song complexity, animal cognition

The role of food sharing: a comparative study in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and
jackdaws (Corvus monedula)
Agatha LIEVIN-BAZIN1,2,3, Davy UNG1,2,3, Dalila BOVET1,2,3 & Auguste MP VON BAYERN4,5
Défense, Nanterre, France ; 2Institut Francilien d’Ethologie ; 3Université Paris Lumières ; 4Avian
Cognition Laboratory; University of Oxford; UK ; 5Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology,
Seewiesen, Germany
Food-sharing occurs largely in birds, especially during courtship and parental care. This
behavior has been the subject of much attention because of its apparent altruistic nature and
its possible impact on the evolution of complex cognition in human and non-human primates.
One of the functions of food-sharing may be to build and strengthen bonds between kin and
non-kin individuals. Birds such as psittacids and corvids usually form pair-bonds for life so
choosing a reliable partner as a mate is crucial. It has been shown in previous studies (de Kort
et al 2006, von Bayern et al 2007) with young jackdaws (Corvus monedula) that food–sharing
strongly correlated with other socio-positive behaviors, peaks in the 2-month period post-
fledging and decreased by the time that individuals formed exclusive relations with one
affiliative partner. In this research, we extended the von Bayern et al (2007) study using this
time a group of cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) including 5 siblings and 5 non-apparented
birds in order to determine if we could replicate these findings and better explain the function
of food sharing and its consequences in affiliative partners choices in young birds. This study
is the first ever to focus on food-sharing across time on juveniles and young adult psittacids.
Moreover, we will compare food-sharing in corvids. It seems that, contrary to jackdaws, there
are no begging, nor food-offer display in cockatiels, and that they are more encline to share
food with siblings than with other conspecifics. As in corvids, food-sharing drops over time in
cockatiels but the birds still share food with several partners while jackdaws chose one
exclusive partner.
References
de Kort, S.R., Emery, N.J. & Clayton, N.S. 2006. Food sharing in jackdaws, Corvus monedula:
what, why and with whom? Animal Behaviour,72, 297-304.
Von Bayern, A., de Kort, S.R., Clatyon, N.S., Emery, J.N. 2007. The role of food-and object-
sharing in the development of social bonds in juvenile jackdaws (Corvus monedula).
Behaviour, 144, 711-733.

Phenology associated with steroid hormones production and dawn-song timing of an
equatorial songbird
René QUISPE
Germany
In birds, steroid hormones mediate the expression of transient phenotypes in which an
individual switches from one life-history stage to another. The timing of the life-history stages
is often coupled to the seasonality in the habitat. At equatorial latitudes the annual variation
in photoperiod is nearly absent, therefore phenology of birds is supposed to be strongly linked
to alternative environmental cues, such as food availability or/and rain. Thus, the role that
steroid hormones play in the regulation of life-history stages of equatorial animals remains
elusive. We investigated seasonal production of corticosterone and testosterone over the
course of a year in a free-living equatorial songbird, the silver-beaked tanager. In addition, we
tracked the daily and seasonal occurrence of dawn-song behaviour at the population in
relation to annual changes in abiotic conditions. Our study site undergoes two main seasons,
the wetter and drier seasons. In order to assess variations in food resource quality associated
to seasonal rainfall, we also analysed the isotopic composition of blood and feathers of
individuals. Our observations indicate that equatorial silver-beaked tanagers are highly
seasonal songbirds. Testosterone mediates the transition between the reproductive and
molting stages, while costicosterone remains invariable. Further, the results suggest that the
timing of dawn-song behaviour is coupled to the seasonal patterns of rainfall. We also found
changes of the isotopic signatures that indicate variation in the quality of diet in correlation
with the seasonal rainfall. Hence, testosterone is a significant internal signal that regulates the
transition of life-history stages, and the rainfall appears as a major environmental driver to
time the annual cycle of equatorial silver-beaked tanagers.

Effect of testosterone induced song learning and relearning on dendritic spine density in
female canary HVC
Mariana ROCHA
Germany
Female canaries are an excellent model system to study motor learning, as they can be
induced by testosterone treatment to initiate a complex motor behaviour that is not normally
carried out by females of this species song production. Females who have already engaged in
testosterone induced song production will relearn to sing much faster when compared to their
first singing experience, as indicated by a much steeper increase in song syllable rate than with
the first treatment, which was shown to occur after an approximately 2month long break
between treatments, when testosterone is removed and no song is produced. This
phenomenon of faster relearning of a motor skill even after long periods without practice,
known as savings in other models, seems to indicate that a memory of the learned skill, which
facilitates relearning, must remain encoded in the brain, even throughout periods when the
skill isn’t used, and hence the memory wouldn’t be expected to be accessed by the animals.
We suspect this memory to be encoded in the birds’ nucleus HVC of the song system, as this
nucleus is known to be involved in both song learning and production. In order to investigate
this, we intend to explore the effects of different stages of song learning on the density of
dendritic spines, which have been proposed as the structural substrate for memory storage,
in Golgi impregnated HVC neurons.

Singing in the light
Léa ROUMAZEILLES1,2,3, Stefan LEITNER4, Manfred GAHR4 & Sébastien
DEREGNAUCOURT1,2,3,4,5
4Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen,
Germany ; 5Institut Universitaire de France
In humans and other animals, melatonin plays an important role in both circadian and
circannual rhythms. But melatonin has been shown to affect the temporal pattern of
behavioural sequences in a non-circadian manner too. Indeed, in a previous study,
Derégnaucourt et al. (2012) exposed male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and male
Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) to constant light during two weeks, while recording their
vocal activity. Constant light is known to abolish melatonin production, and thus to disrupt
circadian rhythmicity. They observed a reversible modification of the temporal organization
of songs in male finches and male mating calls (crows) in quails. The signal duration was
shortened following the transfer from a light–dark (LD) cycle to constant light (LL), but then
inversely increased when the photoperiod was returned to the previous LD schedule. Males
of those two species produce mating signals that are short and stereotyped, unlike canaries
(Serinus canaria) that produce longer and more diversified songs. The canary song is
hierarchically structured: it consists of a series of phrases, with each phrase composed of the
repetition of a syllable that is formed of one to five elements. A male canary builds its songs
from approx. 12–40 distinct syllable types. Canaries are open-ended learners, modifying their
song each year. Their sensitivity to the seasons by the mean of the photoperiod, is also
responsible for their period of breeding and their ability to sing the most attractive song. These
behavioural changes are accompanied by neuro-anatomical and physiological changes. In this
study, we transferred adult male canaries from LD-schedule to LL during 2 weeks. In most of
the birds, we noticed a more variable sequences order in LL, and the syllable durations
shortened while the pauses increased. Our preliminary analysis suggests that similarly to the
Zebra Finch or the Japanese Quail, constant light, by disrupting melatonin production, affects
the temporal pattern of the song in the Canary.

Study of long distance vocal interactions between males in a bird species with an exploded-
lek mating system by using embedded recording systems
Fanny RYBAK1, Markus ABELS2, Manfred GAHR2 & Yves HINGRAT3
1NEUROPSI UMR9197 – Equipe Communications acoustiques, Orsay, France; 2Max Planck
Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany; 3Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation
Until recently the study of communication networks relying on multiple vocal interactions
between several individuals was difficult, as the monitoring of simultaneous information flows
was problematic. Technically, recording continuously several individuals at the same time is
challenging especially if they are separated by long distances. A pioneering way to monitor
the acoustic behaviour of several individuals simultaneously and during long period without
disturbing them is to use miniaturised recording systems associated to transmitters (or
loggers), directly placed on the animals. It offers an unprecedented opportunity to study how
complex interactive exchanges of acoustic signals between several animals can affect group
structure and cohesion. Such devices have been recently implemented by the Max Planck
Institute of Ornithology and used successfully to study in captivity short distances vocal
interactions in a species of Passerine.
The houbara bustard Chlamydotis undulata is a north-African bird species living in semi-
desertic habitat. One of the particularities of this bird is to have an “exploded-lek” mating
system. Contrary to a classical lek mating system, in which males aggregate and perform
courtship close to each other’s, to attract females, the displays sites of the houbara males are
separated from each other by great distances (mean 550m). On these display sites, to which
they are faithful during the whole breeding season males perform spectacular courtships
including striking visual components and acoustic low frequency calls called “booms” emitted
in sequence. We have shown that the booms are involved in the long distance relationships
between the males. Now we aim to understand how booms are involved in the long distance
communication network within the lek and how they are involved in the regulation of group
activity and the expression of hierarchy between males of the same lek, by achieving
continuous and simultaneous recordings of several males displaying in the same lek. After a
successful pilot experiment in the field in 2013, we will tag 7 males of the same lek with a
recording system including a microphone, a transmitter, a logger, and a GPS in 2016. We will
thus “capture” the interactive dimension of communication, meaning the exchange pattern
of emitters as well as the behaviour and localization of the other members of the lek at the
same time.
This study is a collaboration between the Communications Acoustiques team (UMR9197), the
Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation

Functions of female-specific vocalizations in a songbird
Pauline SALVIN1,2,3, Gérard LEBOUCHER1,2,3 & Mathieu AMY1,2,3
Défense, Nanterre, France ; 2Institut Francilien d’Ethologie ; 3Université Paris Lumières
Studies on animal communication in songbirds have mainly focused on male song. Yet, female
signals, and particularly female vocalizations, in songbirds are growing in interest among
behavioural and evolutionary biologists because these signals can reveal the female’s
preferences for male traits and may affect male display. Furthermore, female-specific calls are
of major interest to understand male-female interactive communication and sexual selection
in a broader perspective. Two studies were designed to test whether female domestic canaries
(Serinus canaria) can signal their preferences and whether these different signals can incite
males to display. In a first experiment, female canaries were daily exposed to three types of
song performance, differing in the repetition rate of sexy syllables. The results of this first
experiment revealed that females are engaged in multimodal communication during sexual
interaction. Female used “Female-Specific Trills” as well as “Copulation Solicitation Display”
to indicate their readiness to copulate. In a second experiment, male canaries were daily
exposed to visual and acoustic female canary signals: two different female calls (a contact call
and a Female-Specific Trill) and a dummy female in Copulation Solicitation Display (or not).
This experiment revealed that female visual signals poorly influenced males’ vocalizations
whereas female acoustic signals clearly affected males’ vocalizations. Female-Specific Trills
incite males to sing. These results support the mate sampling aid hypothesis for the Female-
Specific Trills.

Environmental and social modulation of hormones and behavior in the black redstart
Camila VILLAVICENCIO
Germany
The steroid hormone testosterone affects several traits of animals including physiology,
morphology and behavior. Seasonal elevation of testosterone often correlates with aggressive
and mating behaviors and may interfere with parental care. In addition, in socially
monogamous species, male-male interactions trigger testosterone increases. This implies that
testosterone influences aggressive behavior, but aggressive behavior can also feed-back on
testosterone levels. Testosterone has been related to territorial and mating behavior in a wide
variety of taxa. However these relationships are not always straightforward. For example,
black redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros) are socially monogamous birds and territorial, but not
only during breeding. They defend territories also outside a breeding context. Interestingly,
they do not increase testosterone during male-male challenges. The aim of this study was to
investigate the role of testosterone and its relationship with various behaviors, as well as
looking environmental factors affecting the modulation of testosterone in male black
redstarts. I correlated testosterone with aggressive behavior, assessing social modulation of
testosterone in different contexts. In addition I investigated the relationship between
testosterone, parental care, and extra-pair behavior. The results show that testosterone
concentrations did not increase during male-male challenges regardless of context. Also,
testosterone did not correlate with parental care behavior, but there was a connection
between low levels of testosterone during the parental phase and paternity loss. In
combination with prior work, the data suggest that testosterone plays only a minor role in the
control of territorial behavior and it does not interfere with parental care, but it may be
related with mating behavior in this species. Therefore, the control of territorial and parental
care behaviors in species that are territorial throughout their annual life cycle can be
decoupled from testosterone. Thus, the relationship between hormones and behavior in free
living birds may differ among bird species.

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How can I reach the LECD ?
By R.E.R : (Réseau Express Régional) : line A., direction Saint-Germain-en-Laye, station "Nanterre-
Université". From the station "Châtelet / Les Halles" or "Auber" : 10-15min.
By train : Take the train at the gare Saint-Lazare, direction "Nanterre-Université", station "Nanterre-
Université" : about 15min.
By bus :
Station 'Nanterre-Université' by :
- line 367 "Rueil Malmaison RER - Pont de Bezons"
- line 304 "Nanterre Place de la Boule - G.Péri Asnières Gennevilliers"
- line 357 "Cimetière Parc du Mont Valérien - Nanterre Place des Muguets"
Station 'Université Paris X' by :
- line 378 "Nanterre Ville RER – Asnières

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