Table 1 Basic parameters of the Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola recordings (N = 40 birds).

From: Male song of the Aquatic Warbler, a promiscuous bird without paternal care, is more complex than previously thought

Song variable

Range

\(\overline{x }\) ± SD

Duration of recordings per male (s)

49.6–1450.3

703.6 ± 281.65

Number of song phrases per male

25–648

235.4 ± 115.14

Number of whistle phrases per male

6–290

87.8 ± 52.65

Number of rattle phrases per male

19–340

142.2 ± 64.24

Number of rattle-whistle phrases per male

0–24

5.1 ± 6.61

Number of A-songs

1–118

44.4 ± 28.44

Number of B-songs

0–388

39.9 ± 61.09

Number of C-songs

3–50

22.7 ± 12.34

Song duty cycle (%)*

3.3–43.9

16.9 ± 7.21

Ratio of whistle to rattle number

0.21–1.13

0.61 ± 0.189

Ratio of whistle to rattle duration

0.31–1.19

0.73 ± 0.245

Mean whistle phrase duration (s)

0.35–0.86

0.52 ± 0.119

Mean rattle phrase duration (s)

0.29–0.73

0.44 ± 0.089

Mean rattle-whistle duration (s)

0.32–2.52

0.89 ± 0.349

Enumerated repertoire size of phrase types

11–158

87.5 ± 40.54

Phrase type switch rate**

0.52–1

0.89 ± 0.087

Category phrase switch rate**

0.33–0.86

0.59 ± 0.111

  1. *Percentage of time spent singing in the total recording time.
  2. **Switch rate is the number of switches from one phrase (category) type to a different one, divided by the total number of possible switches within a recording, which is equal to the number of phrases minus one. The switch rate may range from 0 to 1, where 1 means that a male switches to a different phrase or category type every phrase.
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