by Craig Brelsford
Founder, shanghaibirding.com
Per Alström, Trevor Price, and Pratap Singh are studying song evolution in the leaf warbler family (Phylloscopidae). To understand how different song traits have evolved, the scientists plan to analyze vocalizations of all the species of leaf warbler and map their song parameters and calls on their molecular phylogeny.
The team is analyzing whole songs of all the species for size of song repertoire and singing variety. They need long song recordings, particularly for species having large repertoires.
For each species, Alström, Price, and Singh need 10 long recordings. They lack material for the following species:
Sulphur-bellied Warbler Phylloscopus griseolus
Ijima’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus ijimae
Kolombangara Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus amoenus
Smoky Warbler Phylloscopus fuligiventer
Black-capped Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus herberti
Red-faced Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus laetus
Laura’s Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus laurae
Makira Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus makirensis
Plain Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus neglectus
Tickell’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus affinis occisinensis
Timor Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus presbytes
Pallas’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus
Sulawesi Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus sarasinorum
Siberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus (collybita) tristis
Yellow-breasted Warbler Phylloscopus montis
Brooks’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus subviridis
Hainan Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus hainanus
Two-barred Warbler Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus
Can you share your recordings of the species above?
Alström et al. prefer uncompressed WAV files but will accept mp3’s. Please make clear the species in your recording. Your contribution will be acknowledged in the publication the team is preparing.
Attach your sound-recordings to an email and send it to Alström, Price, and Singh:
Per Alström
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Per.Alstrom@slu.se
Trevor Price
Department of Ecology and Evolution
University of Chicago, USA
pricet@uchicago.edu
Pratap Singh
Wildlife Institute of India
Dehradun, India
pratapsingh6019@gmail.com
Featured image: An international team of scientists is calling on birders to provide sound-recordings of leaf warblers. Pictured here are five of the species for which recordings are needed. Clockwise from top L: Sulphur-bellied Warbler Phylloscopus griseolus, Tickell’s Leaf Warbler P. affinis occisinensis, Smoky Warbler P. fuligiventer weigoldi, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler P. proregulus, and Hainan Leaf Warbler P. hainanus. (Craig Brelsford)
Hi Craig—Am forwarding your request to a friend of mine who is an avid bird song recordist to see if he can help you. Best—Ron