Song structure and organization in the Red-flanked bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus, Passeriformes, Muscicapidae)

The first description of the song repertoire and song sharing in the Red-flanked bluetail is provided. The study was performed in the Khakassky State Nature Reserve, Siberia. Singing of 19 males were analysed. Songs lasted about 1 s. The repertoire size per male were 1–3 (usually 2) song types. The vast majority of songs consisted of two parts: the motif part and the trill part. In a male repertoire, different song types can have a similar motif part, but different trill parts, or vice versa. However, in each male, the song types are stereotyped, and the motif and trill parts from a male repertoire cannot be combined freely. In contrast, in the population as a whole, the diversity of songs increasing due to different males can combine a limited number of motif and trill types in different ways. Therefore, the motif types and the trill types, but not the song types, are parts of a population repertoire. To reveal the general patterns of repertoire structure and organization in Saxicolinae, the data obtained were compared with several other species from the same subfamily. Many Saxicolinae are found to be capable of increasing the song diversity at either individual level or both at individual and population levels by more or less freely combining the stereotyped parts of the song.