| In contrast to many avian species, woodpeckers use both non-vocal and vocal signals for territorial advertisement. Males and females used these signals at similar overall rates (signals hour−1), but their drum rates (drums hour−1) varied over six breeding stages. Results of neighbor-stranger playback experiments indicated downy woodpeckers were able to recognize individuals by rattle and pik calls, but failed to express a differential behavioral response between neighbor and stranger drums.; Downy woodpeckers have been documented to raise their young in monogamous pairs. However, I observed at four of thirteen cavities a female downy woodpecker helping a monogamous pair during the 1998–2001 breeding seasons, Kraus Woods, Delaware Co, OH. I used multilocus minisatellite DNA fingerprinting to test for relatedness of individuals within groups. The average proportion of bands shared between females and helpers was 0.22, while the average proportion of bands shared between males and helpers was 0.41. The proportion of bands shared between mates, and between males and non-mated, non-helper females was 0.15. Primary breeding females were present within the territory the previous year, but primary breeding males were not observed the previous year.; I recorded and analyzed acoustic features of pik calls, rattle calls and drums from color banded downy woodpeckers during the 1998–2001 breeding seasons. Using discriminant function analysis, there was sufficient variability between individuals to correctly classify individuals by their drum or pik calls, but rattle calls had the highest correct classification of individuals. The frequency characteristics of rattle calls varied between individuals, while the temporal characteristics varied between breeding stages. The some of the frequency parameters of the rattle call significantly changed between the two years sampled. The weaker response by mates to a mate's call of the previous year indicated changes in call characteristics between years did change the how the calls were perceived by individuals. |
