Tap dancers in the wild: field observations of multimodal courtship displays in socially monogamous songbirds
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SHORT COMMUNICATION
Tap dancers in the wild: field observations of multimodal courtship displays in socially monogamous songbirds Nao Ota 1,2 Received: 21 April 2020 / Revised: 3 July 2020 / Accepted: 6 July 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Multimodal signaling systems are shaped not only by a signaler’s physical abilities but also by external factors such as the position of signal receivers and the properties of the medium through which the signals are transmitted. To fully understand the evolution and function of multimodal communication, it is essential to investigate the behavior in the wild. Here, I present evidence that socially monogamous songbirds perform complex courtship displays that can produce multimodal and multicomponent signals in wild conditions. Cordon-bleus (Uraeginthus spp.) are socially monogamous songbirds from East Africa. Both sexes of cordon-bleus perform multimodal courtship displays by holding a piece of nest material, bobbing up and down, and singing. My previous laboratory study using high-speed video cameras revealed that courtship bobbing includes multiple rapid steps similar to human tap-dancing, which presumably contributes to producing non-vocal sounds and/or vibrations in addition to visual signals. As a result of field observation and behavioral analysis, I found that wild cordon-bleus perform tap-dance like displays just as captive cordon-bleus. I also observed that wild cordon-bleus produced non-vocal sounds and shook branches during courtship, which can contribute to multimodal signal production (i.e., visual, acoustic, and vibrational signals). My findings imply that the courtship displays of cordon-bleus are an ideal candidate for investigating the role and function of multimodal communication in animals, and demonstrate the importance of further quantitative studies in both laboratory and field. Keywords Dance . Multimodal communication . Mutual courtship display . Biotremology . Sonations . Estrildidae
Introduction Multimodality is one of the factors that make animal communication complex. Multimodal signaling can contribute to enhancing the accuracy of signal perception under noisy conditions (backup signal hypothesis) and/or provide multiple messages indicating several different qualities of the sender (multiple message hypothesis, Johnstone 1996). These Communicated by: Matthias Waltert and Paula Roig Boixeda Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-020-01686-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Nao Ota [email protected] 1
Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
2
JSPS Overseas Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
hypotheses work under the premise that the signals can be efficiently transmitted via appropriate mediums in wild environments (e.g., air, water and substrate). As well as the physical abilities and constraints of signalers, environmental and social condition
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