The effects of bird song imply a transfer of information between conspecifics. This communication channel is constrained by habitat-induced degradation. Many studies suggest that birds can utilize features of degraded song to assess relative distance to the signaller (ranging). The degradation of transmitted song in the wren Troglodytes troglodytes is quantified to assess the opportunities offered in received song for both information transfer and ranging. This quantification incorporates three measurable aspects of degradation: signal-to-noise ratio; excess attenuation; blur ratio. Each aspect varies more-or-less predictably with transmission distance, i.e., a criterion for ranging. Significant effects of speaker and microphone elevation indicate a potential for birds to optimize both the opportunity for information transfer and ranging by considering perch location. Song elements are the smallest units of a song being defined as a continuous trace on a sonagram. Main and second-order effects of element type indicate element-specific patterns of degradation which could be a crucial factor in communication in this species. The element variation within a full song offers the potential for effective information transfer over a range of relevant distances and a variety of transmission pathways. It similarly offers highly flexible ranging opportunities.
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April 1998
April 01 1998
Degradation of wren Troglodytes troglodytes song: Implications for information transfer and ranging
Jo Holland;
Jo Holland
Centre for Sound Communication, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Tagensvej 16, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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Torben Dabelsteen;
Torben Dabelsteen
Centre for Sound Communication, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Tagensvej 16, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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Simon Boel Pedersen;
Simon Boel Pedersen
Centre for Sound Communication, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Tagensvej 16, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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Ole Næsbye Larsen
Ole Næsbye Larsen
Centre for Sound Communication, Institute of Biology, Odense University, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
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Jo Holland
Torben Dabelsteen
Simon Boel Pedersen
Ole Næsbye Larsen
Centre for Sound Communication, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Tagensvej 16, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 2154–2166 (1998)
Article history
Received:
August 28 1997
Accepted:
December 10 1997
Citation
Jo Holland, Torben Dabelsteen, Simon Boel Pedersen, Ole Næsbye Larsen; Degradation of wren Troglodytes troglodytes song: Implications for information transfer and ranging. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 April 1998; 103 (4): 2154–2166. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.421361
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