Zebra finch song and distance call amplitude measurements: A transmission experiment and observational transects in the natural environment

Birdsong is typically seen as a long-range signal functioning in mate
attraction and territory defense. Among birds, the zebra finch is the
prime model organism in bioacoustics, yet almost exclusively studied in
the lab. In the wild, however, zebra finch song differs strikingly from
songbirds commonly studied in the wild as zebra finch males sing most
after mating and in the absence of territoriality. Using data from the
wild, we here provide an ecological context for a wealth of laboratory
studies. By integrating calibrated sound recordings, sound transmission
experiments and social ecology of zebra finches in the wild with insights
from hearing physiology we show that wild zebra finch song is a very
short-range signal with an audible range of about nine meters and that
even the louder distance calls do not carry much farther (up to about
fourteen meters). These integrated findings provide an ecological context
for the interpretation of laboratory studies of this species and indicate
that the vocal communication distance of the main laboratory species for
avian acoustics contrasts strikingly with songbirds that use their song as
a long-range advertisement signal.