Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior

Mechanisms and control of a novel vocalization: the singing mouse song is a whistle that depends on air sac inflation

This study identifies the vocal mechanism of the singing mouse, revealing that its whistle-like song relies on air sac inflation and specific laryngeal muscles for frequency control.

Repertoire-behavior mapping reveals signal functions in cooperatively breeding crows

The paper maps vocal repertoires to social behaviors in cooperative crows using machine learning and audio-visual data.

Dopamine D1Aa and D2a Receptor Expression in the Auditory System of a Vocal Fish

The paper characterizes dopamine D1Aa and D2a receptor transcript expression in the central auditory system of the plainfin midshipman fish, revealing their distribution and co-expression patterns.

Evolution of songbird vocal imitation involved multiple cellular innovations

The paper identifies novel cellular innovations in songbird pallium associated with vocal imitation, including specialized glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons and increased astrocyte proportions.

Distinct vocal flexibility encodes food identity in marmoset monkeys

The paper shows marmoset monkeys use distinct vocal sequences with graded acoustic variation to encode food identity, suggesting nonhuman primates have precursors of linguistic combinatoriality.

Evaluating the association between vocalizations and colouration in finches (Fringillidae), a passerine group with elaborate signals

This study examines the relationship between plumage coloration and song complexity in finches, finding no significant association between the two traits across multiple scales.

Gene regulatory co-option drives birdsong neural circuit specialization

The paper identifies gene regulatory co-option as a mechanism driving the evolution of specialized neural circuits in birdsong by analyzing gene expression and chromatin accessibility in songbird brains.

Vocal species are more central in Eastern Himalayan Mixed-Species bird flocks

The paper investigates the relationship between vocal behavior and species centrality in mixed-species bird flocks in the Eastern Himalayas, finding a positive correlation between calling rates and centrality.

Beyond dichotomy: diversity of ultrasonic vocalizations in rats

This study identifies diverse ultrasonic vocalizations in rats beyond the traditional high-short/low-long dichotomy, highlighting the need for broader research into complex affective states.

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) males sing using individual isochronous rhythms and maximise rhythmic dissimilarity with neighbours

This study shows yellowhammer males use individual rhythmic patterns in their songs, with strong rhythmic differences from close neighbours.

Selective approach behavior toward context-dependent ultrasonic vocalizations in male mice

The paper investigates how male mice respond to different types of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) based on social context, finding that USVs from chased intruders elicit approach behavior.

Analysis of individual identification and age-class classification of wild female macaque vocalizations without pitch- and formant-based acoustic parameter measurements

The paper evaluates the effectiveness of mel spectrograms for individual identification and age-class classification of wild female macaque vocalizations using machine learning on small datasets.

Low-dimensional neural dynamics underlying rhythmic vocal behavior in songbirds

The paper uses an autoencoder to analyze neural activity in songbirds, revealing low-dimensional dynamics underlying rhythmic vocal behavior.

Passive acoustic monitoring of Tasmanian masked owls and swift parrots: an effective tool for conservation actions

This paper develops a neural network model for identifying vocalizations of endangered Tasmanian masked owls and swift parrots using passive acoustic monitoring, achieving high accuracy and enabling effective conservation actions.

Spontaneous drumming behaviour in a Galah

A Galah spontaneously produced rhythmic, tool-assisted drumming without training or exposure to models, showing structured temporal patterns and raising questions about avian rhythmic abilities.

Seabird calls are shaped by prosody, efficiency, and rhythmic encoding

This paper analyzes the temporal structure of little auk calls, revealing they conform to linguistic laws and show sex-specific rhythmic patterns.

Using FoxP2 to Distinguish Direct and Indirect Basal Ganglia Pathways for Vocal Learning in Songbirds

The paper identifies FoxP2 as a marker for indirect pallidal neurons in zebra finches, distinguishing direct and indirect basal ganglia pathways involved in vocal learning.

Animal collocation analysis 2.0: improving statistical inference and applications for cohort comparisons

This paper introduces MDCA-Pr, a method for analyzing animal signal combinations, showing it improves statistical rigor and enables accurate comparisons between cohorts.

Leveraging AI-powered interactive playbacks to decipher rules of communication in zebra finches

This study uses an AI model to analyze zebra finch vocal interactions and identifies key features of their communication rules.

Sequence-level vocal convergence in common marmosets

This study shows that common marmosets adjust their vocal sequence structure, but not acoustic features, during pair formation, suggesting sequence-level vocal convergence driven by social bonds.

Humans share acoustic preferences with other animals

This study shows humans share acoustic preferences with various animals, with stronger agreement for ancestral and lower frequency sounds, and links preferences to music experience.

Solo songs, duets, and territory defense across seasons in female Galapagos Yellow Warblers (Setophaga petechia aureola)

The paper investigates the seasonal patterns and functions of female song in Galapagos Yellow Warblers, finding that female song is primarily non-breeding season and does not function for territory defense.

Song as a behavioural pre-mating barrier in early population divergence: Insights from the Canary Islands Chaffinch

The paper tests if song divergence between two populations of Canary Islands Chaffinches acts as a pre-mating barrier, finding weak behavioural discrimination between habitats.

Ontogeny of vocalizations in Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chicks

The paper uses DeepSqueak to analyze vocal development in Adelie penguin chicks, finding age-related changes in call structure.

RUBAT Studio: A Unified Workbench for Multichannel Bioacoustic Data Acquisition

RUBAT Studio provides a unified platform for multichannel ultrasonic recording and real-time monitoring, enabling complex acoustic experiments with high sampling rates and compatibility across hardware.

TweetyBERT: Automated parsing of birdsong through self-supervised machine learning.

TweetyBERT is a self-supervised transformer model that parses birdsong without human labels, learning acoustic and temporal patterns in canary song.

The Effect of Neurodegeneration on Ultrasonic Vocalisations (USV) and Their Neuronal Substrates in Mice and Rats: A Systematic Review

This review examines how neurodegeneration in mice and rats affects ultrasonic vocalisations and their neuronal substrates, aiming to identify biomarkers for human speech deficits.

Benchmarking automated detection and classification approaches for monitoring of endangered species: a case study on gibbons from Cambodia

The paper benchmarks automated detection and classification methods for gibbon calls using ARUs in Cambodia, finding BirdNET outperforms others with fewer samples.

Reintroduction of wild song culture to a critically endangered songbird

The paper demonstrates how reintroduced zoo-bred songbirds can be taught wild songs through adaptive tutoring, restoring lost cultural traits in an endangered species.

Rule-based sequences in sooty mangabey vocal communication

This study documents the vocal sequence repertoire and rules of sooty mangabeys, revealing a previously unreported hierarchical system using only two call types.