afrol News, 9 March - To most listeners, the tropical boubou is just singing. Research in the dense thickets of Côte d'Ivoire however reveals that this African bird has a large song repertoire - each with a single meaning. The repertoire also includes 12 duets that the male and the female sing together, one of which can be equalled to the "We are the champions" sports song.
Winning a fight against intruders of the same species appears to put the tropical boubou - an all-African bird - in the mood for a very special song. Research published in 'BMC Ecology' describes a rare example of a context-specific birdsong and identifies the tropical boubou as the first bird species known to sing a 'victory duet'.
The birds probably sing to deter other birds from intruding into their territory. According to the authors, "we were able to hear the male note of the victory display across two territories, further than notes of other duets. Also, it was typically sung from higher perches than other duets, making it more conspicuous."
Tropical boubous are monogamous birds. The male and female of a pair often sing duets, with each bird having a distinct part. The species occurs throughout sub-Saharan Africa, mostly favouring dense thickets in wooded areas and forest edges.
German researchers Ulmar Grafe and Johannes Bitz visited the Comoé National Park in Côte d'Ivoire to find out how tropical boubous respond to their territory being invaded. The researchers broadcasted recordings of four duets, which are often sung during contests over territory, to 18 different pairs of birds.
Sixteen of the tropical boubou pairs stood their ground, and 11 of these pairs sung the 'victory duet' within 30 minutes of the researchers turning off their tape machine. The birds that flew off - presumably after 'losing' the battle - didn't sing any note at all for at least 30 minutes.
The 'victory duet' was the first and only song that the birds sung within 30 minutes of the antagonistic encounter. The tropical boubous waited for at least 150 seconds of silence, to check that the invaders had gone, before they announced they were the winners.
- Analysis revealed that the presumptive victory display was sung significantly more often after than before or during playback of recordings, write Mr Grafe and Mr Bitz. Like other duets sung by male and female tropical boubous, the 'victory duet' contained "highly synchronised tonal notes that were often repeated." However this song was longer than the other 12 songs in the tropical boubous' repertoire, with the same motif being sung around 40 times on average.
Mr Grafe, a zoologist at the University of Würzburg, told afrol News that duetting is known to occur in about 3 percent of all bird species worldwide or approximately 222 species. With few exceptions it occurs only in tropical species. The tropical boubou has a repertoire of 12 duets, and the 'victory duet' was found to be unique to the tropical boubous.
- This is a rare example of the use of a song type in one very specific context, Mr Grafe explained. "There are also not very many examples of displays used to signal victory in animals," he added. This made the documentation of the 'victory duet' such a unique research result, according to the German scientists.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español