ArticlePhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2023
Acoustic similarity of flight calls corresponds with the composition and structure of mixed-species flocks of migrating birds: evidence from a three-dimensional microphone array.
Article in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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8 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Wind conditions shape co-migration fidelity in trans-Saharan birds at a Mediterranean stopover site.Royal Society open science · 2026Article
- Vocal Phenology of Forest Tinamous Along a Latitudinal Gradient: Effects of Daylength and Precipitation.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Structuring the skies: Diel dynamics of migratory animal movement in the lower atmosphere.Ecology · 2025Article
- Persistent species relationships characterize migrating bird communities across stopover sites and seasons.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- The relative contribution of acoustic signals versus movement cues in group coordination and collective decision-making.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2024Review
- Mixed-species groups and aggregations: shaping ecological and behavioural patterns and processes.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Acoustic similarity of flight calls corresponds with the composition and structure of mixed-species flocks of migrating birds: evidence from a three-dimensional microphone array.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Interspecific sociality alters the colonization and extinction rates of birds on subtropical reservoir islands.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Animals that migrate in mixed-species groups may communicate with both conspecific and heterospecific individuals, providing a low-cost mechanism for navigation whenever individuals share similar migratory routes or destinations. Many migratory birds produce calls while flying, but the function of these calls, and the forces contributing to their evolution, are poorly known. We studied flight calls in mixed-species groups of wood warblers (Parulidae), a biodiverse group of migratory songbirds. We used a spatial approach to examine whether acoustic similarity of flight calls varies with group composition, recording flight calls of mixed-species flocks with a wireless microphone array and triangulating the positions of birds in three dimensions. We found that the acoustic similarity of flight calls was correlated with spatial proximity: birds with similar calls fly closer together during migration. We also found relationships between acoustic similarity, flock size and mixed-species flock diversity: birds with similar calls fly in smaller flocks and in flocks with lower species diversity. Our results support the idea that migrating birds use flight calls to maintain contact with acoustically similar individuals in mixed-species flocks, with communication transcending species boundaries. These results suggest that acoustically similar flight calls are used as cues of group assembly for migratory animals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mixed-species groups and aggregations: shaping ecological and behavioural patterns and processes'.
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