The Role of Learned Acoustic Structure in the Song of the Budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus

Abstract

We examined the functional significance of learned acoustic structure in Budgerigars, a species of Psittaciformes in which vocal learning is common. We compared the acoustic structure of normal song to the song of males deafened early in life. The 'deaf song' differed from normal song in the structure of its component sounds. In playback experiments, normal male song elicited more song from male subjects than did the deaf song. The results are discussed in terms of the possible roles that learned acoustic structure plays in male-male communication among Budgerigars.