DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h8h35
title: Data from: A minimum-impact, flexible tool to study vocal communication of small animals with precise individual-level resolution

description: 1.To understand both proximate and ultimate factors shaping vocal
 communication, it is fundamental to obtain reliable information of
 participating individuals on different levels: Firstly, it is necessary to
 separate and assign the individuals’ vocalisations. Secondly, the precise
 timing of vocal events needs to be retained. Thirdly, vocal behaviour
 should be recorded from undisturbed animals in meaningful settings. A
 growing number of studies used animal-attached microphones to tackle these
 issues, but the implications for the study species and the research
 question often receded into the background. Here we aim to initiate a
 discussion about the limitations, possible applications and the broader
 potential of such methods. 2. Using lightweight wireless microphone
 backpacks (0.75 g including customised leg-loop harness) combined with
 multi-channel recording equipment we captured vocal behaviour of small
 songbirds. We evaluated the effect of the devices at various levels,
 including an assessment of how vocal and locomotor activities were
 affected by initial device attachment and battery exchange. We compared
 our approach to existing studies and identified suitable research
 examples. 3. We acquired continuous vocalisation recordings of zebra
 finches, and unequivocally assigned them to interacting individuals, with
 system-based synchrony, irrespective of background noise. We found effects
 of initial backpack attachment and of battery replacement on vocal and
 locomotor activity, but they were minimised through the extended recording
 duration (ca. 16 days) that outlasted habituation effects (ca. 3 days). 4.
 This method provides the tools to integrate individual vocal
 communications into a group setting, while enabling animals to behave
 freely in undisturbed, structured and acoustically complex environments.
 By minimising the effects on the animals, the behaviour under study, and
 ultimately on the research question, this approach will revolutionize the
 ability to capture individual-level vocalisations in a variety of
 communication contexts, opening up many new opportunities to address novel
 research questions.
description: amplitude_dataRaw data from Fig.3 - figure supplement 1: Amplitude values recorded during "noise" (80dB) and "no noise" treatment, for different sounds (baseline background, focal bird and non-focal bird) .number_callsRaw data from Fig. 1: bird (channel), day of experiment, number of calls, scorer ID and tarsus.video_durationRaw data from Fig. 1: bird (channel), experimental day, video duration (video.dur)transmitter_eventsRaw data from Fig. 2: Time stamp (sec) of vocal events, recorded by Transmitter 1 or 2, Recording (first or last 4 hours of 24-hr test run). Note that minimal lags between transmitters are due to cutting of sound files (&lt; 2ms).vocalevents_no_noiseRaw data for Fig. 3- figure supplement 3: Time stamps of vocal onsets, bird (female, male1, male2) during "no noise" conditionvocalevents_noiseRaw data for Fig. 3- figure supplement 3: Time stamps of vocal onsets, bird (female, male1, male2) during "noise" condition