Birdsong for the
Curious Naturalist

7. Duets by Carolina wrens and wrentits.

2. Birds and Their Sounds
Female song and duets
From page 18 in the book.

Duets by Carolina wrens and wrentits. For the Carolina wren and the wrentit, the female contribution to the vocal exchange is easily heard, yet so little is known about when and under what circumstances the female adds her voice. What "interesting numbers" could you collect to learn more about the interaction between mates? How does time of day, time during the breeding season, behavior of neighboring pairs, and so on, affect the likelihood and energy with which the female participates in the vocal exchanges? The same questions could be asked of cardinals (below), but you also have to watch the cardinals intently, because the songs of the male and female are not readily distinguishable by ear.