Article Abstract:
The individual syllables in bunting songs can act as the cultural equivalent of genes which is known as memes. These syllable memes serve as the units of recombination from which whole-song fluctuation is produced. A small degree of fluctuation is caused by the mutation of syllables. There is a wide distribution of syllable types and these may be taken as species universal song elements. The possibility of a canalizing factor arises due to the stability of syllables which regulates the learning process in young buntings even at the time of cross-species syllable acquisition.
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Article Abstract:
The relation between breeding dispersal and breeding success of Indigo Buntings was studied. Male and female Indigo Buntings were captured from different areas and subsequently banded. The banded birds were then dispersed and their post-dispersal breeding behavior were observed. Results revealed that male Indigo Buntings are more likely to disperse after their first year than after a later year. Female breeding dispersal is also found to be more closely assocated with a site rather than the return of an individual mate.
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Article Abstract:
Populations of the eastern Indigo Bunting and the western Lazuli Bunting overlap in the Great Plains of North America and hybridization is common. A new, four-year study investigates mating associations, singing behaviour and reproductive success in a population of color-banded Lazuli, Indigo and hybrid Buntings. The study concludes that there is a selection against hybridization but between-species crosses are relatively common because females tend to use learned song traits of males when choosing a mate.
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