[NatureNS] "Beginner" Songs

Date: Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:19:11 -0300
From: Peter Payzant <pce@accesswave.ca>
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Today we had a Hermit Thrush singing near our house. The song was 
tentative, quiet, and full of odd extraneous sounds - as if a beginner 
was learning how to do it but still had a lot of practicing to do. This 
is a common phenomenon in the late summer and early autumn.

I wonder if these are adult birds still singing but with drops in 
hormone levels, or are they birds of the year just learning the song 
(and of course with low hormone levels anyway, since they have never 
come into breeding condition)? In other words, in adult birds, is the 
song accuracy (and "enthusiasm") affected by hormone levels?

Of course, I'm just assuming that the old hormones would have slacked 
off a little since the breeding season is ending.

Peter Payzant
Waverley



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<font size="-1"><font face="Arial">Today we had a Hermit Thrush singing
near our house. The song was tentative, quiet, and full of odd
extraneous sounds - as if a beginner was learning how to do it but
still had a lot of practicing to do. This is a common phenomenon in the
late summer and early autumn.<br>
<br>
I wonder if these are adult birds still singing but with drops in
hormone levels, or are they birds of the year just learning the song
(and of course with low hormone levels anyway, since they have never
come into breeding condition)? In other words, in adult birds, is the
song accuracy (and "enthusiasm") affected by hormone levels? <br>
<br>
Of course, I'm just assuming that the old hormones would have slacked
off a little since the breeding season is ending.<br>
<br>
Peter Payzant<br>
Waverley<br>
<br>
<br>
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</body>
</html>

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