Comparative analysis of perch-coo vocalizations in Streptopelia doves

Abstract

Some of the 16 dove species in the genus Streptopelia are very similar with respect to plumage pattern, but all seem to produce species-specific 'perch-coo' vocalizations. Here, we describe variation in perch-coo recordings of all 16 species. All individuals could be correctly classified by species in a discriminant function analysis, which means that the overlap in inter- and intraspecific variation was limited for the total set of acoustic parameters. Interspecific similarity in acoustic parameters was compared with taxonomic classification, based upon qualitative morphological characteristics and geographic distribution (Goodwin 1983). The clustering of species using the acoustic data set showed little congruence with taxonomic clustering. This indicates that differentiation in plumage pattern does not necessarily coincide with differentiation in acoustic characteristics. However, our analysis did not completely contradict the subdivision into four taxonomic groups based on morphology and distribution. Two of the four putative groups differed significantly from the other groups in one of the components of a principal components analysis. Vocal differentiation in Streptopelia doves was strongest in temporal components, which is in line with expectations based on the evolutionarily conservative syringeal constraints.