Can singing be inferred from a bird's behaviour when the song is not heard well enough or not appreciably different from the call or (possibly in some lesser-studied species) not known?
Case 1: A lone male House Sparrow repeating monotonous sounds from a sparse bush, with no conspecifics in sight.
Comment: I found a similar song on XC, so it was probably a song.
Case 2: A Yellowhammer perched atop a low tree.
Comment: It was only calling, from what I remember, so not a song.
Case 3: A Blue Tit perched atop a higher tree making sounds akin to the song but without the initial high whistles.
Comment: Either the initial notes were too quiet for me to hear or it was just an unusual call repeated over and over.
Case 4: A Greenfinch calling at regular intervals.
Comment: I've always logged it in as a call, but a Greenfinch's song may well include its call, and I think that on one occassion I heard the other buzzy elements of the song, which were much quieter than the calls accompanying them.
Any thoughts or ideas for a general rule, i.e. for a (song)bird on an exposed perch making repeated sounds? If not, then--more specifically--what do you think about constantly calling Greenfinches or how would you recognise whether a House Sparrow is singing or not?
Case 1: A lone male House Sparrow repeating monotonous sounds from a sparse bush, with no conspecifics in sight.
Comment: I found a similar song on XC, so it was probably a song.
Case 2: A Yellowhammer perched atop a low tree.
Comment: It was only calling, from what I remember, so not a song.
Case 3: A Blue Tit perched atop a higher tree making sounds akin to the song but without the initial high whistles.
Comment: Either the initial notes were too quiet for me to hear or it was just an unusual call repeated over and over.
Case 4: A Greenfinch calling at regular intervals.
Comment: I've always logged it in as a call, but a Greenfinch's song may well include its call, and I think that on one occassion I heard the other buzzy elements of the song, which were much quieter than the calls accompanying them.
Any thoughts or ideas for a general rule, i.e. for a (song)bird on an exposed perch making repeated sounds? If not, then--more specifically--what do you think about constantly calling Greenfinches or how would you recognise whether a House Sparrow is singing or not?
