Table 2 Definitions for song characteristics used in this paper

From: Polygyny is linked to accelerated birdsong evolution but not to larger song repertoires

Song trait

Definition

Syllable repertoire

Mean total number of unique syllables an individual uses across songs

Syllables per song

Mean number of unique syllables used per song

Song repertoire

Mean total number of unique songs an individual produces

Intersong interval

Mean length of time separating songs within a period of consistent singing behavior (unit: seconds)

Song duration

Mean length of a song, measured as the length of time of consistent singing or discrete songs between periods of silence; sources may have differed in definition based on the song structure of a studied species (unit: seconds)

Song rate

Number of full song cycles produced per minute, computed from song duration and intersong interval values

Song continuity

Proportion of total song performance time spent producing song, computed from song duration and intersong interval values

  1. Here, we note the definitions that we used throughout our analyses. Some previous studies have characterized birdsong in different terms; for example, what we term a “syllable” is also called a strophe, note, element, etc. Further, Read and Weary30 define “syllable repertoire” as the number of syllables in a single song, whereas we classified those data as “syllables per song” in our database. When we gathered song characteristic data from cited sources, we classified these data according to the definitions given in that source, regardless of the terms used
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