Breeding Experience and not Age Modulates the Song Development of Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Abstract

© 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH In songbirds, the development of the species-specific adult song involves a learning process that varies in extension. In species that incorporate new song elements throughout life (open-ended learners), variation in male song composition could be the result of either age or breeding experience. Using data from 16 yr of fieldwork on pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), we aimed to disclose the individual contribution of these two factors on the species song characteristics, as well as their relation with morphology and plumage color changes. Finally, we explored whether any of the song or physical features could predict the probability of males returning to the breeding site. We found that the song characteristics of the first-time breeders did not differ between age classes, except for the total number of syllables per song, which was higher in the 1-year-old than in the 2-year-old males. However, we found that song variables associated with complexity (