Evidence Concerning the Function of Nocturnal Call Notes of Migratory Birds
Evidence Concerning the Function of Nocturnal Call Notes of Migratory Birds
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关于候鸟夜间叫声功能的证据
DOI：
10.2307/1365547
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发表时间：
1962
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
W. Hamilton
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
W. Hamilton
几乎所有在夜间迁徙的鸟类都会发出特有的飞行叫声，但直到最近才试图对这些叫声进行定量研究。Ball(1952)和Vleugel(1954,1960)依靠没有人帮助的耳朵来记录高空中移民的音符。Graber和Cochran(1959,1960)已经成功地记录了带有指向天空的抛物线的通知音符。磁带录音机整夜自动监测每10分钟间隔中的112分钟部分。在这些研究中收集的数据被用来解释迁徙的数量、物种组成和发生迁徙的条件。夜间叫醒的功能并不是这些工人的主要担忧。然而，对于夜班的意义，人们不乏猜测。一些人认为，这些呼叫是不适应的。鲍尔(1952)推测，画眉叫声的黎明涌动可能是受到来自即将到来的黎明的饥饿和光线的启发。哈德森(1923)假设，这些电话是在陌生的夜晚表达恐惧，这一观点也得到了其他一些人的认同。但是，如此频繁和具有特征的行为模式似乎不太可能是没有作用的。夜间叫声的一个经常被提及的功能是，它们用来把羊群聚集在一起。这一结论的一个推论是，年轻人通过与成年人一起旅行而从成年人的经历中受益(Brewster，1886)。另一个相关的想法暗示，这些呼叫是相互刺激的，每个呼叫都会促使飞行伙伴继续前进(泰勒，1916；其他人)。Lowery和Newman(1955)认为，这种叫声可能起到了“回声”的作用，促进了着陆过程。这一建议虽然可能是合理的，但由于缺乏证据，在这里不被考虑。这里提出的证据是基于对表现出迁徙不安的笼养鸟类的叫声和自由飞行的候鸟发出的叫声的分析。这两条证据都清楚地表明，至少对一些雀形目动物来说，这种叫声是可以交流的。
Nearly all birds which migrate at night give characteristic flight calls, but only recently has any attempt been made to investigate these quantitatively. Ball (1952) and Vleugel (1954, 1960) relied on the unaided ear to register the notes of migrants aloft. Graber and Cochran (1959, 1960) have successfully recorded call notes with a parabola pointed skyward. A tape recorder automatically monitored a 112 minute portion of each 10-minute interval through the night. The data collected in these studies have been used to interpret the volume of migration, its species composition, and the conditions under which it takes place. The function of night calls has not been a major concern of these workers. There has been no lack of speculation concerning the significance of night calls, however. Some suggest that the calls are not adaptive. Ball (1952) supposed that the dawn surge of call notes of thrushes might be inspired by hunger and light from the oncoming dawn. Hudson (1923) postulated that the calls were an expression of fear in the unfamiliar night, an idea shared by a number of others. But it seems unlikely that a behavior pattern which is so frequent and characteristic is functionless. A frequently suggested function of the night calls is that they serve to hold flocks together. A corollary to this is the suggestion that young benefit from the experience of adults by travelling in their company (Brewster, 1886). Another related idea implies that the calls are mutually stimulating, each call urging flight partners onward (Tyler, 1916; others). Lowery and Newman (1955) suggest that the calls may serve an "echosounding" function, facilitating the landing process. This suggestion, while perhaps reasonable, is not considered here for lack of evidence. The evidence presented here is based on analysis of the calls of caged birds exhibiting migratory restlessness and calls given by free flying migrants. Both lines of evidence clearly indicate that for at least some passerine species the calls are communicatory.