The Relationship Between Song Performance And Reproductive Output In Jankowski’s Bunting(Emberiza Jankowskii)

Attracting females is considered to be one of the main functions of bird song. Both the rate and complexity of male song are assumed to be reliable cues, that may be used by the female when choosing a mate. The songs and the reproductive output of the Jankowski’s Bunting(Emberiza jankowskii) were recorded in Zhaluteqi Tongliao, Inner Mongolia from May to July in 2014 and 2015. We collected 47 songs of the male Jankowski’s Bunting(Emberiza jankowskii). The date for laying of the first egg, the number of eggs in clutch, hatching date, the male’s feeding rate, and the number of fledglings were recorded. During 2014 and 2015 we found 108 nests of Jankowski’s Bunting with 71 nests laying eggs. The average reproductive success was 9.26%. The average clutch size was 4.98±0.50(four tou six eggs n=62) and the average egg mass was 2.00±0.22 g. We found 51 nests have the date for laying of the first egg during the two years, and the earliest laying eggs on May 12, 2014; May 22, 2015. The frequency with which the 13 nests parents fed the young was recorded. During the first nestling stage the males brought food to the nestlings 1.36±0.19 times/h, on average, while the mean frequency in the second nestling stage was 1.67±0.19 times/h. During the first nestling stage the females brought food to the nestlings 1.53±0.19 times/h, on average, while the mean frequency in the second nestling stage was 1.99±0.40 times/h. During the whole nestling period the males brought food to the nestlings 1.46±0.17 times/h, and the females brought food to the nestlings 1.66±0.24 times/h, on average. We found the strophe versatility, the song versatility, the mean length of strophe, the frequency range, the song rate were significant difference. We recorded song of 47 nests and analysed with different variables: the number of figures in a strophe was 6.41±0.32, the number of different figures in a strophe was 4.91±0.24, the strophe versatility was 0.78±0.02, the song versatility was 0.09±0.00, the maximum frequency was 11.66±0.42 kHz, the minimum frequency was 1.96±0.03 kHz, the frequency range was 9.71±0.43 kHz, the mean length of strophe 1.14±0.06 s, and the song rate was 0.26±0.01(strophes/s). A statistically significant negative correlation was found between song rate and the date for the first egg laid in the clutch(Pearson: r =-0.421, df = 27, p = 0.023) as well a positive correlation between the length of the song strophes and the number of fledglings(Pearson: r = 0.598, df = 16, p = 0.024). But no statistically significant relation was found between any of the song parameters and the male’s feeding rate. These results showed that females might use male song rate to assess male quality and ability to participate in raising chicks.