Is Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia) song the domain of males?

Abstract

In most birds, males are responsible for territory defence and mate attraction using a song. Females’ song is less frequent and usually produced for other reasons. The female song has also been reported in Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia), but has not received sufficient attention. In the northern part of the Horná Orava Protected Landscape Area, we recorded songs of ten females and nine males from 2014 to 2020. Individuals were provoked by imitating a species-specific song with a lure. This work presents the basic acoustic traits of Hazel Grouse song and sex-based song differences. In addition, we point out the different functions of the male and female songs. Specifically, males sang longer songs at higher frequencies than females. Moreover, in spring, males actively responded to the imitation of the female song, suggesting that the females attract males by singing. In the spring and autumn, males reacted to the imitation of songs of both sexes, indicating that the male songs serve to defend the territory. Females responded exclusively to the imitation of female songs, thus indicating that they were guarding their partner.

Keywords

• tetrastes bonasia
• female song
• function of song