syllable production

Neural Mechanisms of Coordination in Duetting Wrens

To communicate effectively, two individuals must take turns to prevent overlap in their signals. How does the nervous system coordinate vocalizations between two individuals? Female and male plain-tailed wrens sing a duet in which they alternate syllable production so rapidly and precisely it sounds as if a single bird is singing. I will talk about experiments that examine the interaction between sensory cues and motor activity, using behavioral manipulations and neurophysiological recordings from pairs of awake, duetting wrens. I will show evidence that auditory cues link the brains of the wrens by modulating motor circuits.