birdsong; learning; Chaffinch; sensitive period; song learning; tutors; chant d'oiseau; apprentissage; Fringilla coelebs; Pinson des arbres; période sensible
Abstract :
[en] Learning plays a key role (Thorpe 1954) in the way song pattern develops in the Chaffinch. In experiments related here, the rearing of young Chaffinches in the presence of adults of the same species suggests that :
- learning of song can be relatively precise ; the young imitate the song(s) heard from its « teachers » during this period. This confirms experiments done by other researchers under different conditions (Slater & Ince 1982, Thielcke & Krome 1989). Some differences may however occur, particurlarly the form of the reproduced syllabes and their rythm of emision.
- during its second calendar year, a bird placed in a new sound atmosphere can acquire new phrases and, apparently, forget its previous repertory.
- certain young birds build up their repertory by coping phrases from different individuals and copy many of them for fixing the tempo of their song.
The aim of the discussion is to find the characteristics of the sensitive period, the importance of social interactions on the process of song learning, the building of a repertory and the formation of dialects. In the last two phenomena, a process of dynamic and selective restructuration appears to be implied.
