Therefore, the observation of 16 song types is merely a minimum estimate of repertoire size. Similarly, across the species’ range, birds likely sing many more than the 179 identified song types. Our initial analysis suggests that individual syllable and song-type variety is potentially infinite. In conjunction with their high individual variability, rattling cisticola songs

have fixed features that are consistent at the continental scale. Songs are brief in duration with a structure that always includes repeated introductory notes, followed by a more complex end phrase. Across the species range, we found only three introductory note types. This fixed structure and limited number of introductory note types may facilitate species recognition, both for humans and for

other cisticola warblers. Because rattling cisticolas are sympatric with click here many congeners, we expect that their songs are under stabilizing selection to maintain species-specific elements that ensure correct mate-choice (Price, 2007; Benedict & Bowie, 2009). Simultaneously, however, rattling cisticolas must compete intra-specifically for territories, creating selection pressures for trait elaboration as an indicator of quality (Carlson, 1986; Andersson, 1994). Tests in controlled and natural environments indicate that other bird species use the introductory phrases of songs to indicate species affiliation and then use the remainder of the song to encode information about identity (Baptista & Morton, 1981; Mathevon et al., 2008). It is not surprising that cues Rucaparib purchase to species identity Selleck Erlotinib should come at the beginning of

a communication signal as this information is fundamental in determining receiver response to any signal content that follows (Bradbury & Vehrencamp, 1998). For example, although white-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys songs differ greatly across the geographic range of the species, they all begin with a stereotyped introductory syllable which young birds use as a cue to species identity when learning songs (Marler & Tamura, 1964; Baptista & Morton, 1981; Soha & Marler, 2000). Thus, evolution can occur via stabilizing selection for species-specific introductory elements in conjunction with diversifying selection on the following elements that encode individual identity or quality (Milligan, 1966; Baker et al., 1987). In such cases, the resultant song is predicted to have a structure like that of the rattling cisticola’s song, with introductory elements that are relatively fixed across all members of the species, followed by elements that show a wide range of forms. We found that although rattling cisticolas across all of sub-Saharan Africa sing songs with only three introductory syllable types, they sing at least 77 distinct end-phrase types.