Notes on the vocalizations of Opal-rumped Tanager (Tangara velia)

In the following we briefly analyze and compare voice of the different races of Opal-rumped Tanager (Tangara velia). We also try to quantify the extent of any vocal differences using the criteria proposed by Tobias et al. (2010), as a support for taxonomic review. We have made use of sound recordings available on-line from Xeno Canto (XC).

Our main interest is to compare the disjunct and distinctive race cyanomelas with other races. A comparison of vocalizations (illustrated with multiple sonograms oin the pdf version of this note):

cyanomelas: calls include high-pitched "see" notes and lower-pitched symmetrically overslurred "chup" notes in short bursts or series (a true song has probably not yet been documented, or may simply consist of combinations of the aforementioned two note types).

Other races: calls seem to also consist of the two note types mentioned above.

Based on the relatively few available recordings, it would seem that vocalizations are very similar, all basic sound parameters being largely the same, and even note shapes are about identical. We can thus conclude that cyanomelas apparently does not differ in voice from other races.

This note was finalized on 5th July 2015, using sound recordings available on-line at that moment. We would like to thank in particular the sound recordists who placed their recordings for this species on XC: Patrice Adret, Glauco Alves Pereira, Nick Athanas, Peter Boesman, Rodrigo De la Rosa, Weber Girao, Fernando Igor de Godoy, Dan Lane, Gabriel Leite, Mitch Lysinger, John V Moore and Andrew Spencer.

References

Tobias, J.A., Seddon, N., Spottiswoode, C.N., Pilgrim, J.D., Fishpool, L.D.C. & Collar, N.J. (2010). Quantitative criteria for species delimitation. Ibis 152(4): 724–746.

More Information: on406_opal-rumped_tanager.pdf