I am currently comparing several subspecies of the white-crowned sparrow that differ in their annual cycle and in whether or not they form song dialects. My goal is to relate differences among populations in the process of song learning to differences in the annual cycle and in the spatial pattern of song variation. Selection-based learning in bird song development. Obispo My research interests include behavioral ecology, and the role of communication behavior in social interactions. I am interested in behavioral evolution, and the focus of my doctoral work is birdsong.
Songbirds use song in territory defense and mate attraction.
The songs of two populations can diverge when their habitats differ, and the birds adapt their songs to their respective habitats. Speciation can result when the songs have diverged to an extent that members of the different populations do not recognize each other. My work attempts to test whether habitat differences were responsible for song differences that may have resulted in a speciation event in the towhees, i.e., the eastern towhee and the spotted towhee. Previously, both species were called the rufous-sided towhee. Khanna, H., Gaunt, S.L.L. and McCallum, D.A. 1997.