Data from: ‘Out of tune’: consequences of inbreeding on bird song

The expression of bird song is expected to signal male quality to females.
‘Quality’ is determined by genetic and environmental factors, but,
surprisingly, there is very limited evidence if and how genetic aspects of
male quality are reflected in song. Here, we manipulated the genetic
make-up of canaries (Serinus canaria) via inbreeding, and studied its
effects upon song output, complexity, phonetics and, for the first time,
song learning. To this end, we created weight-matched inbred and outbred
pairs of male fledglings, which were subsequently exposed to the same
tutor male during song learning. Inbreeding strongly affected syllable
phonetics, but there were little or no effects on other song features.
Nonetheless, females discriminated among inbred and outbred males, as they
produced heavier clutches when mated with an outbred male. Our study
highlights the importance of song phonetics, which has hitherto often been
overlooked.