Lazuli Bunting Behavior, El Paso County

[linda hodges]

Greetings, cobirders,

Might you be able to help explain some curious behavior I recently encountered?

A few weeks ago, at Sondermann Park in Colorado Springs, I thought I heard a male Lazuli Bunting (LAZB) singing.

As I wasn't sure of my ID, I briefly played its song, which was similar but different from the one it had just sung. The male immediately appeared and sang the exact song I had just played.

When I heard a LAZB again the following week at Sondermann, I again briefly played the tape (I won't do it again, but I considered this research), and again it repeated the song I played.

Is this typical behavior? 

I would greatly appreciate your input,

Linda Hodges

Colorado Springs

[Nathan Pieplow]

Linda,

No, this is not typical behavior. According to the literature, most Lazuli Bunting males should know only a single songtype. Song matching is unknown in the species.

In this case, I'd recommend repeating the experiment, if you can -- but this time making an audio recording before and after playback. (Ideal would be a recording that started before playback and continued during and after it.) If you can confirm that the same individual male switched songtypes upon responding to playback, then you have documented something new about Lazuli Bunting song behavior that would be worth publishing in a note in Colorado Birds. To be certain, you'd have to locate the singing bird before you played back to it, and watch to make sure it is the same male responding.

Nathan Pieplow

Boulder, Colorado

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