Data from: Mating success follows duet dancing in the Java sparrow

Mutual interactions between sexes have multiple signalling functions. Duet singing in songbirds is related to mutual mate guarding, joint resource defence, and signalling commitment. Coordinated visual displays of mating pairs are thought to perform similar functions, but are less well understood. The current study evaluated mutual interactions in an Estrildid species to explore the relative importance of duet dancing and male singing in mating success of pairs in a first encounter. When Java sparrows (Lonchura oryzivora) court prospective mates, only males sing. However, both males and females perform courtship dances, often in a duet-like manner. These dances are typically terminated by female copulation solicitation displays (CSDs). In the current study, we observed higher mating success when courtship dances were mutually exchanged, and when males sang. However, the sex initiating the courtship did not affect mating success. Most females produced CSDs after duet dancing but before hearing the entire song, indicating that duet dancing played a crucial role in mating. This finding highlights an unexplored aspect of duetting behaviour in the process of mutual mate choice. These results conflict with the majority of past songbird research, which has interpreted songs as primary behavioural sexual signals.两性间的相互互动具有多重信号功能。鸣禽（songbirds）的二重唱鸣唱，与双向配偶守护、联合资源防御以及承诺信号传递存在关联。学界普遍认为，交配配对间的协同视觉展示可发挥类似功能，但相关研究尚未得到充分阐释。本研究以梅花雀科（Estrildid）物种为对象，对其相互互动模式展开评估，旨在探究初次相遇的配对中，二重唱舞蹈与雄性鸣唱对交配成功率的相对重要性。当爪哇禾雀（Lonchura oryzivora）向潜在配偶求偶时，仅雄性会发出鸣唱。然而，雌雄个体均会进行求偶舞蹈，且常呈现出类似二重唱的协作模式。这类求偶舞蹈通常以雌性的交配恳求展示（copulation solicitation displays，CSDs）作为结束。本研究观察到，当求偶舞蹈为双向交换进行，且雄性开展鸣唱时，交配成功率更高。但发起求偶的性别并不会对交配成功率产生影响。大多数雌性会在二重唱舞蹈结束后、听到完整鸣唱前发出CSDs，这表明二重唱舞蹈在交配过程中发挥了关键作用。这一发现揭示了双向配偶选择过程中，二重唱行为尚未被探索的重要侧面。这些结果与以往多数鸣禽研究的结论相悖，过往研究均将鸣唱视为核心的行为性性信号。