Male and female Rufous-and-white Wrens do not match song types with same-sex rivals during simulated territorial intrusions

In birds with song repertoires, song-type matching occurs when an individual responds to another individual’s song by producing the same song type. Song-type matching has been described in multiple bird species and a growing body of evidence suggests that song-type matching may serve as a conventional signal of aggression, particularly in male birds in the temperate zone. Few studies have investigated song-type matching in tropical birds or female birds, in spite of the fact that avian biodiversity is highest in the tropics, that female song is widespread in the tropics, and that female song is the ancestral state among songbirds. In this study of rufous-and-white wrens (Thryophilus rufalbus), a resident neotropical songbird where both sexes sing, we presented territorial males and females with playback that simulated a territorial rival producing shared and unshared songs. In response, both males and females sang matched song types at levels statistically equal to levels expected by ch...