The song structure of the Siberian Blue Robin Luscinia [Larvivora] cyane and a comparison with related species

Abstract

We studied the song syntax of the Siberian Blue Robin Luscinia cyane, a small insectivorous passerine of the taiga forests of Siberia and the Far East. Males have repertoires of 7 to 14 (mean 10.9±2.3) song types. A single song typically consists of a short trill comprised of from three to six identical syllables, each of two to three notes; sometimes the trill is preceded by a short single note. The most complex songs contain as many as five or six different trills and single notes. The song of the Siberian Blue Robin most closely resembles that of the Indian Blue Robin L. brunnea. The individual repertoires of Siberian Blue Robin, Common Nightingale L. megarhynchos and Thrush Nightingale L. luscinia contain groups of mutually associated song types that are sung usually one after another. The Siberian Blue Robin and the Common Nightingale perform them in a varying sequence, while Thrush Nightingale predominantly uses a fixed sequence of song types. The distinctions between the song syntax of Larvivora spp. and Luscinia spp. are discussed. The individual songs of Luscinia spp. are much more complex and are performed with less prolonged pauses than those of Larvivora spp.