Note types, harmonic structure, and note order in the songs of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)..

Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) song notes are acoustically complex, rich in harmonic structure, and variable among birds. This article provides simple, reliable methods for classifying zebra finch song notes into types, for describing the harmonic structure of song notes, and for determining the order of notes in song motifs in samples from 4 captive North American laboratory colonies. Using the note-type classification scheme, 2 observers sorted 90% of readable song notes into 5 types with 94% interobserver agreement. Examination of song-note power spectra revealed that reduced harmonics were a common feature of zebra finch song notes. Finally, an analysis of zebra finches' songs suggests that males produce the notes in their motifs in a consistent but not stereotyped (invariant) order. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)