RT Journal Article
T1 Habitat structure influences the song characteristics within a population of Great Tits Parus major
A1 Bueno Enciso, Javier
A1 Ferrer, Esperanza S.
A1 Barrientos Yuste, Rafael
A1 Sanz, Juan José
AB Capsule: The structure of Great Tit Parus major songs is shaped by the acoustic properties of the habitat within the breeding territory of individuals.Aim: To test whether the structure of the habitat influences song structure within a population of Great Tits P. major.Methods: We recorded Great Tit songs from 42 territories on two different days and measured the habitat structure in each territory. We also trapped the males and estimated the breeding density around each territory, so were able to control the analysis by date, breeding density and male characteristics.Results: Song pause length was positively affected by the ground cover, while the song rate and the minimum frequency were negatively affected by the shrub cover. Male size negatively affected the peak frequency of the songs, whereas the age of the males affected the frequency range; older males sang with a broader bandwidth.Conclusion: This study suggests that Great Tits are capable of adjusting their vocalizations in each territory, presumably to enhance transmission owing to vocal plasticity.
PB Taylor and Francis
SN 0006-3657
YR 2016
FD 2016-07
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131119
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131119
LA eng
NO Bueno-Enciso, J., Ferrer, E. S., Barrientos, R., & Sanz, J. J. (2016). Habitat structure influences the song characteristics within a population of Great Tits Parus major. Bird Study, 63(3), 359–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2016.1212812
NO Funding:JBE and ESF were funded by a predoctoral fellowship (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha – European Social Fund) and RBY was funded by a postdoctoral Juan de la Cierva fellowship (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad). This study was funded by the [grant number POIC10-0269-7632] (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha-European Social Fund) and the [grant number GCL2010-21933-C02-01] (MINECO).
NO European Commission
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
NO Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha
DS Docta Complutense
RD 26 feb 2026