Effect of acoustic cue modifications on evoked vocal response to calls in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)

Besides their song, which is usually a functionally well-defined communication signal with an elaborate acoustic structure, songbirds also produce a variety of shorter vocalizations named calls. While a considerable amount of work has focused on information coding in songs, little is known about how calls' acoustic structure supports communication processes. Because male and female zebra finches use calls during most of their interactions and answer to conspecific calls without visual contact, we aimed at identifying which calls' acoustic cues are necessary to elicit a vocal response. Using synthetic zebra finch calls, we examined evoked vocal response of male and female zebra finches to modified versions of the distance calls. Our results show that the vocal response of zebra finches to female calls requires the full harmonic structure of the call, whereas the frequency downsweep of male calls is necessary to evoke a vocal response. It is likely that both female and male calls require matching a similar frequency bandwidth to trigger a response in conspecific individuals.