The Condor Vol: 105, Issue: 4, November 1, 2003 pp. 672-682
THE COMPLEX SONG DUET OF THE PLAIN WREN Mann, Nigel I.; Marshall-Ball, Lorraine; Slater, Peter J. B. We studied the duet of the Caribbean-slope subspecies of the Plain Wren (Thryothorus modestus zeledoni ) in Costa Rica. It is one of the most complex duets to have been described. The duet proper consists of rapid, highly coordinated alternation of "A-phrases" from the female and "B-phrases" from the male. While the female initiates this section with her A-phrase, this cyclical part of the duet is almost invariably preceded by an introductory "I-phrase" from the male, so that it is the male that initiates the performance. Each male has a repertoire of I- and B-phrases, and each female has a repertoire of A-phrases. These are specifically associated with each other to form a repertoire of duet types. We hypothesize that the pattern of song organization in this species facilitates more coordinated and precise duetting. The presence of the three components means that a full duet requires the cooperation of both members of the pair, strongly suggesting that it represents a mutually beneficial signal. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Jill Soha, Curator Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics (http://blb.biosci.ohio-state.edu) The Ohio State University Museum of Biological Diversity 1315 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 (614) 292-2176 --------------------------------------------------------------------
