Song structure and organization in the Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola pelzelni)

BENITEZ SALDIVAR, M. J; MASSONI VIVIANA

Manaus

Congreso; XNeotropical Ornithological Congress; 2015

The Saffron Finch, Sicalis flaveola pelzelni, is a South American secondary cavity-nester with delayed plumage maturation. Adult males are golden yellow colored with olive-streaked, black upperparts and they are commonly caged as pets due to their color and pleasant, melodious song. This species is listed as being of ?least concern?, but the pet trade seems to be reducing their population in Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. Even though this is a relatively common species, a complete description and function of its song is lacking to date. The aim of this study is to provide a characterization of the organization and variability of the song in this species. We present an analysis for one population of breeding males at a nest box assemblage placed at Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina. We examined patterns of syllable and song diversity from 1,021 songs from 48 males (N=31 in the 2014-2015 breeding season; N= 17 in the 2013-2014 breeding season), using one recording for each male. The population syllable repertoire represents over 90 syllables with an individual repertoire of 13 ± 4.6 (mean ± SD) syllables and an average number of syllables per song of 9 ± 4.1. Finally, we found that many syllables are shared by most males, yet their placement in each song and the frequency of use is variable. The cumulative plot showed that many but all males reached an asymptote in about 60 songs. This preliminary study of song structure shows that the population overall repertoire is large. This characterization will enable assessment of potential differences between immature and mature males? song and, consequently, whether acoustic communication has a relevant role in mate choice