And a nightingale sang... experienced males 'show off' to protect their territories
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 05:30
in Biology & Nature
Male song birds sing to attract mates and to deter other males from their territory and it is well known that the solo repertoire of many male song bird species increases with age and experience. However, new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology has examined the songs sung by male nightingales in response to recordings which mimicked an invading male and suggests that older males are less threatened by intruders resulting in less song matching.