Effect of Mate Loss on Song Performance in the Plain Titmouse

Past studies on titmice have found song to serve exclusively in defense of territory (e.g., Dixon 1949, Lemon 1968.Krebs et al. 1978).vet Krebs et al. (1981) showed I_ .that in the Great Tit (Purus major) song ma; also' function to attract females.They noted that after a female was removed from a mated pair, the male increased song output almost six-fold and, when reunited with the female, subsequently decreased his singing.The study population was located 22 km N of Flagstaff, Arizona in a pinyon-juniper-ponderosa pine ecotone.In 1982.five males and some females were marked with U.S. Fish ind Wildlife Service aluminum bands and unique combinations of colored plastic leg-bands.Birds were observed between 06:OO and 12:OO usuallv for a ueriod of one hour per day several times a week.Observations were made from early March through late May.Songs, behavioral observations, and timing (from running stopwatches) were recorded simultaneously on a Uher 4000 Report IC tape recorder with a Dan Gibson parabolic microphone.While studying the singing behavior of the Plain Tit-This report deals with the behavior of four territorial males, all of whom were mated at the beginning of the JEHL, J. R., JR. 1974.The near-shore avifauna of the Middle American west coast.Auk 9 1:68 l-699.