song playback experiment (Passeridae)

Knowledge graph centered on song playback experiment (Passeridae) with 66 nodes and 148 connections. Top connected: Hummingbird, Potentilla, Bacteria, Veratrum, interspecific competition.

Method synopsis

Systematic presentation of conspecific, heterospecific competitor, and control songs to territorial males followed by standardized behavioral observation and scoring. Uses randomized treatment order with repeated measures design.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 4 papers using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — The effect of hemosporidian infections on white-crowned sparrow singing behavior (2007), Ethology. The protocol was originally introduced by Intraspecific signaling function of Crown Coloration in Mountain White-Crowned Sparrows (2005). Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Playback experiments and song recording
   Between 06:00-12:00 hours, males actively engaged in song were subjected to playback experiments. Researcher approached singing male at slow, deliberate pace and placed speaker 7-10 m from perch. After retreating 5-10 m and finding available cover, 2 minutes of song from non-local males was played at 4 songs per minute. When focal subject resumed singing, song was recorded for 2 minutes and number of perches sung from was noted.
   Quantities: 2 minutes playback, 4 songs per minute, speaker placed 7-10 m from perch, researcher 5-10 m from speaker, 2 minutes recordingDuration: 2 minutes playback + 2 minutes recording per trial, conducted between 06:00-12:00 hoursConditions: Only when males actively singing in territory, morning hours
   Equipment: speaker, recording equipment
2. Song recording and equipment setup
   Songs were recorded from average distance of 12.3 m (± 6.5 SD) using Sennheiser MH 816 directional microphone and Sony TC-D5M cassette recorder. Recording equipment was positioned to capture hi-bias cassette tapes during the period after territory establishment and before end of breeding season (10 Jun to 18 Jul 2003). Usable recordings were obtained from 34 of the 68 known males in study sites.
   Quantities: 34 usable recordings from 68 known males, average recording distance 12.3 m ± 6.5 SDDuration: Recording period 10 June to 18 July 2003Conditions: After territory establishment, before end of breeding season

Typical Equipment

• Sennheise MZW 816 microphone
• Marantz solid-state PMD660 recorder
• Raven 1.0©
• Sound Studio
• Sony™ Model SRS-77 G speaker
• tape recorder
• JWatcher 1.0

Output Measurements

• proportion time in each behavioral category
• behavioral response intensity

Papers Using This Protocol (4)

Species Studied With This Protocol