I didn't pay attention to the discussion earlier this month on research on
the brain activity of duetting birds.  There were a couple of comments on
duetting in North American birds, which is rare compared to its occurrence
across families in Africa and elsewhere in the tropics.  I was aware of it
in Wrentits, but found a study where it's noted for 21 species!  Her
conclusion is that "Duetting behavior appears to have evolved at least 17
different times among North American passerines". However, this includes
casual or sporadic duetting, not just the tight and consistent singing shown
by Neotropical wrens, African barbets, etc., though Pygmy Nuthatches,
Wrentits, and Gray Catbirds are among those that  are "very precisely
timed".  Guess I need to pay more attention...

 

L. Benedict, J. Avian Biol. 39: 57_65, 2008

http://www.unco.edu/biology/lbenedict/Benedict%202008%20-%20Occurrence%20and
%20life%20history%20correlates%20of%20vocal%20duetting%20in%20North%20Americ
an%20passerines.pdf

or http://tinyurl.com/887epw2

 

Stephen Greenfield

Minneapolis

tapaculo@q.com

 

-----

From: Matt Dufort [mailto:zeledonia@GMAIL.COM] 
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 8:43 AM
Subject: Re: plain-tailed wren duet research--- from Science Now

 

Thanks, Gordon, for forwarding that.  It's an interesting read.  

Duetting is actually quite common in other parts of the world, especially
tropical areas.  Africa, Central and South America, Australia, and other
places have lots of species that duet.

 

Plain-tailed Wrens, which this study focused on, are masters of it.
Something this article didn't mention is that this species sometimes lives
in large cooperative groups, and those groups sing in chorus.  Multiple
males singing the male part together, and multiple females singing the
female part together.

Some great examples of this are here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/37014

and here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/184

 

Compared to the rest of the world, duet singing is unusually uncommon in the
US and Canada.  The only species here that comes to mind is Northern
Cardinal, though I suspect there are others.

 

Matt Dufort

Minneapolis

 

 

On 11/8/11 9:50 PM, G Andersson wrote:

> This article reports research on the duet singing of this wren species
from

> Ecuador.  Given its name, could this be the only wren species without a

> barred tail?   Anyway there are links in the text to listen to the duet
and

> the single song.. also a link to the original journal article for those
who

> like neurology.  I don't think there are any duetting bird species in N

> America, but there are in Africa.  I would guess their finding apply to
all

> such species worldwide, but who knows?

> 

> Gordon Andersson

> St Paul

> 

>
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/11/wrens-brains-are-wired-for-due
ts.html?ref=hp

> 


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