11.3 The Ecology of Avian Acoustical Signals
Hans Winkler
Konrad Lorenz-lnstitut fur Vergleichende Verhaltensforschung der
Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, SavoyenstraBe 1A, 1160 Vienna,
Austria
Abstract
The acoustical communication of birds is reviewed with an emphasis on
ecological aspects. Sound propagation in the environment has specific
consequences for signal transmission. The intensively studied ground effect and
other influences offer good prediction for signal design in the frequency domain.
The particular transmission properties observed in bird sounds are, in fact, at least
as much governed by their temporal structure. Some principles of signal design
are illustrated using woodpeckers as examples. They show how intimate and longdistance signals are structured, and how they relate to behavior and habitat use.
The analysis of a set of species of antbirds of a rainforest community demonstrates
that the temporal structure of the song is most important for explaining the
transmission properties at singing post height. A review of the hypotheses
proposed to explain the dawn chorus serves to point out the role of the receiver's
demand for information played in the shaping of bird song. It is suggested that
researchers should pay more attention to acoustical signals other than song,
because these may offer better models for testing specific hypotheses about
functional aspects. More and more evidence from different fields of research
indicates that temporal characteristics of vocalizations need more attention.
Finally, viewing acoustical communication more from the receiver's end may
foster our understanding.
Key words Acoustic communication, bird song, habitat, sound propagation
1 Introduction
Birds rely extensively on sound as a means of communication. The diversity of
sounds and vocal repertoires defies simple description. This chapter purports to
review the ecological aspects of acoustical communication in birds. To that end I
will concentrate on summarizing the current state of knowledge of basic aspects of
sound transmission as far as they were not treated in the chapter by Romer, this
Volume, ecological factors such as habitat and foraging, and sound reception.
Some of the points made will be illustrated with examples from my own work.
Recent reviews (e.g., Kroodsma and Miller 1996) show that our knowledge has
Hans Winkler
Konrad Lorenz-lnstitut fur Vergleichende Verhaltensforschung der
Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, SavoyenstraBe 1A, 1160 Vienna,
Austria
Abstract
The acoustical communication of birds is reviewed with an emphasis on
ecological aspects. Sound propagation in the environment has specific
consequences for signal transmission. The intensively studied ground effect and
other influences offer good prediction for signal design in the frequency domain.
The particular transmission properties observed in bird sounds are, in fact, at least
as much governed by their temporal structure. Some principles of signal design
are illustrated using woodpeckers as examples. They show how intimate and longdistance signals are structured, and how they relate to behavior and habitat use.
The analysis of a set of species of antbirds of a rainforest community demonstrates
that the temporal structure of the song is most important for explaining the
transmission properties at singing post height. A review of the hypotheses
proposed to explain the dawn chorus serves to point out the role of the receiver's
demand for information played in the shaping of bird song. It is suggested that
researchers should pay more attention to acoustical signals other than song,
because these may offer better models for testing specific hypotheses about
functional aspects. More and more evidence from different fields of research
indicates that temporal characteristics of vocalizations need more attention.
Finally, viewing acoustical communication more from the receiver's end may
foster our understanding.
Key words Acoustic communication, bird song, habitat, sound propagation
1 Introduction
Birds rely extensively on sound as a means of communication. The diversity of
sounds and vocal repertoires defies simple description. This chapter purports to
review the ecological aspects of acoustical communication in birds. To that end I
will concentrate on summarizing the current state of knowledge of basic aspects of
sound transmission as far as they were not treated in the chapter by Romer, this
Volume, ecological factors such as habitat and foraging, and sound reception.
Some of the points made will be illustrated with examples from my own work.
Recent reviews (e.g., Kroodsma and Miller 1996) show that our knowledge has