# Behavioural changes in response to background noise sign the importance of intra-pair communication at the nest in a songbird

Avelyne S. Villain, Marie S. A. Fernandez, Colette Bouchut, Clémentine Vignal, Hédi Soula

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## To cite this version:

Avelyne S. Villain, Marie S. A. Fernandez, Colette Bouchut, Clémentine Vignal, Hédi Soula. Behavioural changes in response to background noise sign the importance of intra-pair communication at the nest in a songbird. XXV International Bioacoustics Congress Murnau | Bavaria, Germany Abstract book, Sep 2015, Murnau, Germany. 2015. [hal-04738622](https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04738622v1)

HAL Id: hal-04738622

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04738622v1

Submitted on 15 Oct 2024

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XXV International Bioacoustics Congress
Murnau | Bavaria, Germany

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IBAC2015

XXV International Bioacoustics Congress
Murnau | Bavaria, Germany

7 – 12 September 2015
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season. The detailed temporal dynamics of
vocal skill development are not well understood
however, and it is unclear in what way the initial
development of song differs from the seasonal re-
acquisition of song. Female canaries seldom sing
under natural conditions, but administrating the
hormone testosterone stimulates them to develop
singing skills that are typically reserved for males.
In this study we investigated the dynamic acqui-
sition and re-acquisition of song after repeated
testosterone treatments. The testosterone-induced
song of female canaries went through the cha-
racteristic phases of song development known
for male canaries: subsong, plastic song, and
stable song. Although the syllable repertoire was
established early during song development, both
temporal patterning and frequency modulation
of song syllables continued to develop, slowly
consolidating over a period of five months. Song
production was discontinued for three months
by withholding testosterone, and subsequent re-
application of testosterone resulted in songs with
striking similarity in temporal and spectral organi-
zation compared to the initial songs, independent
of exposure to singing conspecifics. Interestingly,
the song structure consolidated much more rapidly
after the second testosterone treatment than after
the first, suggesting that canaries retain some of
their vocal skills even in periods when no song is
produced. It is unclear however, what constitutes
this type of skill memory or where this memory is
located. We observed that the hormone dihydrotes-
tosterone (DHT), a metabolite of testosterone, did
not stimulate naive female canaries to start sin-
ging. However, applying DHT to birds with previous
singing experience did stimulate them to sing.
These findings suggest that singing experiences
irreversibly modify the hormonal responsiveness
of brain and/or peripheral pathways that control
song production, facilitating the rapid retrieval of
previously acquired vocal motor memories.

Villain, Avelyne

Bouchut, C.

Vignal, C.

Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, France

Fernandez, M.S.A.

Université Lyon/Saint-Etienne, EPI BEAGLE

INRIA, France

Soula, H.A.

EPI BEAGLE INRIA, INSERM INSA LYON, France

Behavioural changes in response to back-
ground noise sign the importance of intra-pair
communication at the nest in a songbird

ABSTRACT Intra-pair communication might play a key role in the coordination of behaviours between mates, which is a central aspect of the biology of monogamous pair bonds in birds. Surprisingly, little is known on the structure and function of this communication. If communication between mates participates in pair coordination during breeding, partners should show strategies to maintain information transmission even under difficult environmental conditions. We examined the effect of an increased level of background noise on intra-pair acoustic communication around the nest in the zebra finch. Using a playback of wind noise inside the nest box, we monitored how partners adapted their acoustic interactions. During incubation, zebra finch mates perform three types of structured call duets at the nest. When one mate returns to the nest and meets its incubating partner, a call duet is performed with two possible outcomes: the returning mate either relieves its partner and takes its turn incubating the eggs (relief duets), or leaves the nest at the end of the duet (visit duets). Other call duets are performed with one mate inside the nest and the other outside (sentinel duets). Despite the experimental noise constraint, mates still performed call duets but with several behavioural changes. Mates increased the number of visit duets, increased their spatial proximity during sentinel duets, and emitted louder, higher pitched and less broadband calls inside the nest box. Relief duets were particularly affected as partners increased regularity and precision in their response to each other in noisy conditions. This may sign the importance of relief duets in coordinating partners during the crucial moments of incubation shifts. Our results show that birds use several signal strategies to cope with noise during intra-pair communication and strongly suggest a role of vocal interactions at the nest in coordinating mates' behaviours. These data reveal how environmental noise might interfere with reproductive success by affecting intra-pair communication.