For decades, birdsong research focused almost exclusively on males. In many species, however, females also sing. Now a study by researchers from the University of Vienna and Anglia Ruskin University shows that female Galapagos yellow warblers sing frequently, though not for the reasons males do. In experiments simulating territorial intrusions, the researchers found that female song was neither linked to same-sex competition nor to signaling aggression in territorial defense. The findings, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, raises new questions about the function of birdsong.

For decades, birdsong research focused almost exclusively on males. In many species, however, females also sing. Now a study by researchers from the University of Vienna and Anglia Ruskin University shows that female Galapagos yellow warblers sing frequently, though not for the reasons males do. In experiments simulating territorial intrusions, the researchers found that female song was neither linked to same-sex competition nor to signaling aggression in territorial defense. The findings, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, raises new questions about the function of birdsong.

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