Sub song
Subsong (from English subsong ) or Whisper Song (from English whisper song , literally " whisper song ") is a type of bird song that is usually performed by songbirds . The subsong is usually a relatively quiet song that differs significantly from the territorial song of the respective bird species and also occurs in species that do not have a territorial song in the actual sense. It is often expressed by juvenile birds that have not yet participated in the competition for breeding grounds and females, and often also by adult birds outside the breeding season. In warblers , it also appears as a “prelude” before the actual motif song. The sub-song usually consists of a collection of ordinary calls and chattering, babbling series of sounds and can also contain imitations. It varies a lot from time to time, and is also very individual. The function of subsongs is largely unclear. It may be a test of the vocabulary.
literature
- Mark Constantine: The Sound Approach to Birding: A Guide to Understanding Bird Sound. The Sound Approach, Poole, 2006, ISBN 90-810933-1-2 .
- Joseph del Hoyo, Andrew Elliot, David Christie (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World . Volume 14: Bush-shrikes To Old World Sparrows. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-50-7 .
- Einhard Bezzel: Ornithology . UTB 681, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-8001-2445-9 .