title: Hatching late in the season requires flexibility in the timing of song learning.
abstract: Most songbirds learn their songs from adult tutors, who can be their father or other male conspecifics. However, the variables that control song learning in a natural social context are largely unknown. We investigated whether the time of hatching of male domesticated canaries has an impact on their song development and on the neuroendocrine parameters of the song control system. Average age difference between early- and late-hatched males was 50 days with a maximum of 90 days. Song activity of adult tutor males decreased significantly during the breeding season. While early-hatched males were exposed to tutor songs for on average the first 99 days, late-hatched peers heard adult song only during the first 48 days of life. Remarkably, although hatching late in the season negatively affected body condition, no differences between both groups of males were found in song characteristics either in autumn or in the following spring. Similarly, hatching date had no effect on song nucleus size and circulating testosterone levels. Our data suggest that late-hatched males must have undergone accelerated song development. Furthermore, the limited tutor song exposure did not affect adult song organization and song performance.
authors: Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany leitner@orn.mpg.de.
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Leitner
authors: Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.
authors: Johanna
authors: J
authors: Teichel
authors: Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.
authors: Andries
authors: A
authors: Ter Maat
authors: Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.
authors: Cornelia
authors: C
authors: Voigt
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D002171:Canaries / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors; D014828:Vocalization, Animal
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone
keywords: HVC; canary; song exposure; testosterone; vocal learning