Detecting diel patterns in the songs of Chipping Sparrows using citizen-science data

• Published in: Journal of field ornithology 2020-09, Vol.91 (3), p.263-274
• Main Authors: Searfoss, Abigail M., Liu, Wan-chun, Creanza, Nicole
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Avian Behavior and Ecology; behavior; birdsong; Chipping; citizen science; daily patterns; dawn chorus; Duration; Fieldwork; oscine passerine; Singing; Social behavior; Social behaviour; Song; Spizella; Spizella passerina; Syllables
• ISSN: 0273-8570; 1557-9263
• DOI: 10.1111/jofo.12340

Previous studies have revealed diel patterns in the songs of Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina), with songs shorter in duration before dawn than after. However, the extent to which this phenomenon generalizes to the full geographic range of these sparrows is unclear, as is the question of whether citizen-science data can be used to detect diel patterns in song. We analyzed all available songs of Chipping Sparrows from the Macaulay Library and xeno-canto databases and compared the distributions of song features of recordings made at different times of day. We show that, across their entire geographic range in North and Central America, Chipping Sparrows sing shorter songs before sunrise (dawn song) than after sunrise (day song). Furthermore, we show that Chipping Sparrows shorten their songs by singing fewer syllables, not by singing faster: the number of syllables per song accounts for the observed difference in duration, not the syllable nor the intersyllable duration. Our results demonstrate that recordings from public repositories can be used to determine whether daily song patterns exist in species even in the absence of prior fieldwork, and we further propose that citizen-science recordings can be used to inform cross-species hypotheses and facilitate future studies to determine whether diel patterns in song are associated with differences in social behavior. Estudios previos han revelado patrones diarios en los cantos del chimbito común (Spizella passerina), con cantos de menor duración antes del amanecer que después. Sin embargo, la medida en que este fenomeno se generaliza al rango geográfico completo de estos gorriones no está claro, al igual que la cuestión de si los datos de la ciencia ciudadana se pueden usar para detectar patrones diarios en los cantos. Analizamos todas los cantos disponibles de Spizella passerina en la Biblioteca Macaulay y las bases de datos de xeno-canto y comparamos las distribuciones de las características de los cantos grabados en diferentes momentos del día. Mostramos que, en todo su rango geográfico en América del Norte y Central, Spizella passerina producen cantos más cortos antes del amanecer (el canto del amanecer) que después del amanecer (el canto del día). Además, mostramos que Spizella passerina acortan sus cantos por producir menos sílabas, no por cantar mas rápido. El número de sílabas por canto explica la diferencia observada en la duración, no la duracion sílaba o intersílaba. Nuestros resultados demuest