The Response of Silvereyes to Individual Variation in Their Territorial Song

Abstract

Playback experiments and an investigation of song interaction were used to examine the response of Silvereyes Zosterops lateralis chlorocephala to the individual variation in their territorial song. The Silvereyes did not respond differentially to playback of neighbours' or strangers' songs, nor did they habituate to the presence of playback song within or between experiments. The continuous nature of the individual variation in the Silvereyes' songs did not allow their perception of specific individuals or groups on the basis of song structure. Time of day, the individual's song used and the age of the individual responding did not significantly affect the response. There was no apparent interaction of song between territorial males, either in acoustic avoidance or song stimulation.