CARLOS A. BOTERO				The MOCKINGBIRD Project
Last update July 2006
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Contents Home My other research Publications Curriculum Vitae About me Featured results (NOTE: some of these links are not currently active. Please try again later) BEHAVIOR Repertoire size and individual song recognition Signal value of vocal versatility in male-male encounters Botflies in mockingbird nestlings Mate guarding in the tropical mockingbird Signal value of song rate in male-male encounters NEUROETHOLOGY Our studies on male-male countersinging, song mimicry and the brain PHYLOGENETIC COMPARISONS Evolution of song in Mimidae		The mockingbird family (Aves: Mimidae) Mimids are a group of New World songbirds widely known for their amazing singing abilities. Males tend to sing extremely elaborate songs and usually develop a large song repertoire as they get older. The family is composed of 35 different species known by the common names of mockingbirds, thrashers, tremblers and catbirds. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about the Mimids is that in spite of being a relatively small and closely related group, they exhibit remarkably different behaviors. For example, some mimids mimic while others don’t, some have broad distributions while others can be found only tiny ranges (e.g. islands), some live in dense habitats while others prefer open spaces and finally some are cooperative breeders while others live only as mated pairs.				A pearly-eyed thrasher from Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles)
		Cooperative breeding tropical mockingbirds in Colombia			What is the mockingbird project? The objective of the mockingbird project is to study the evolution of song and song learning based on a detailed knowledge of mockingbirds’ natural history, ecological environment and phylogenetic relationships. At the core of this effort are my studies on color-banded populations of the tropical mockingbird (Mimus gilvus) in Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles) and Colombia. With the help of several field assistants I’ve collected information on phenology, territoriality, reproductive success and other natural history traits of over 150 individual birds and I am now starting to relate these variables to male singing behavior. I have also used playback experiments to evaluate how different song parameters may convey information about male quality or aggressiveness during vocal encounters and to determine whether mockingbirds are able to recognize individual males on the basis of song despite having to deal with extremely large vocal repertoires (see Featured results). Finally, I am also studying some very interesting links between sexual conflict with respect to extra-pair paternity and the evolution of singing behavior in these birds.
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		The larger picture… Another key component of the mockingbird project is the comparison of singing behaviors across species. For this purpose, Dr. Sandra Vehrencamp and I are collaborating with Dr. Irby Lovette and on a molecular phylogeny of Mimidae that will allow us to test specific hypotheses about the evolution of different patterns of song delivery (e.g. continuous versus discontinuous singing), song mimicry and other song-related behaviors. Our analyses are well under way but we would still like to increase our sample in a few species. Find out how you could help here.				A catbird from North Carolina
		Baby tropical mockingbirds a few hours after hatching			Fitting it all together… The mockingbird project is part of a larger study (led by Dr. Sandra L. Vehrencamp at Cornell University) aimed at studying how different ecological and life history traits may have promoted the evolution of different song learning strategies in songbirds. When I joined Dr. Vehrencamp’s lab, species with small and medium-sized song repertoires were the main focus of her group and we had relatively little first hand experience with species with extremely elaborate song repertoires and open-ended learning. My research on tropical mockingbirds has filled that gap and is starting to yield some very interesting results.
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		How can you become involved? We are looking for more song recordings of certain thrashers and tremblers to include in our analyses so if you have some or can produce new ones with the characteristics described below please send me an email (cab82ATcornellDOTedu). NOTE: if you don’t own recording equipment but know how to record let us know and we can lend you a rig. We are looking for: - Males singing during courtship (it is easy to know when mimids are courting since males basically sing all day long – and sometimes night! – for several days in a row). - Only one individual can be singing in each recording (other males singing in the background or song playback before or during the recording must be avoided) - Each recording must last a minimum of three (uninterrupted) minutes				Female tropical mockingbirds outfitted with a radio transmitters are helping us understand the rather complicated mate choice process in this species
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