Duetting is a fascinating form of communication in which paired animals sing together with varying degrees of temporal coordination, ranging from apparent chaos to precise syncopation. It occurs in a wide array of animal taxa, including at least 3% of bird species, but its adaptive significance is poorly understood.
As part of our long-term study of the behavioural ecology and speciation of Amazonian antbirds, we therefore investigated the function of duetting in the Warbling Antbird at Rio Cristalino Jungle Lodge in south-central Brazil. Using acoustic analysis of song structure in conjunction with playback experiments, we found support for the idea that duets function in mate defence. In other words, females reply to their partner's songs to advertise their mated status and to repel same-sex rivals. To read the paper, please visit the Behavioral Ecology website or click here to view the pdf.
 Spectrogram of a Warbling Antbird duet, consisting of male song immediately followed and slightly overlapped by a female song. To hear the vocalization, click here.
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