Data from: Patterns of call communication between group-housed Zebra finches change during the breeding cycle

Vocal signals such as calls play a crucial role for survival and
successful reproduction, especially in group-living animals. However, call
interactions and call dynamics within groups remain largely unexplored
because their relation to relevant contexts or life-history stages could
not be studied with individual-level resolution. Using on-bird microphone
transmitters, we recorded the vocalisations of individual zebra finches
(Taeniopygia guttata) behaving freely in social groups, while females and
males previously unknown to each other passed through different stages of
the breeding cycle. As birds formed pairs and shifted their reproductive
status, their call repertoire composition changed. The recordings revealed
that calls occurred non-randomly in fine-tuned vocal interactions and
decreased within groups while pair-specific patterns emerged. Call-type
combinations of vocal interactions changed within pairs and were
associated with successful egg-laying, highlighting a potential fitness
relevance of calling dynamics in communication systems.