Beaks, Adaptation, and Vocal Evolution in Darwin's Finches

• Published in: Bioscience Vol. 54; no. 6; pp. 501 - 510
• Main Authors: PODOS, JEFFREY, NOWICKI, STEPHEN
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Circulation, AIBS, 1313 Dolley Madison Blvd., Suite 402, McLean, VA 22101. USA American Institute of Biological Sciences 01.06.2004; University of California Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: adaptive radiation; animal behavior; Animal communication; Animal vocalization; Audio frequencies; Beak; bird song; Bird songs; Birds; Divergent evolution; Evolution; Field Studies; Finches; Mating behavior; Musical Instruments; Ornithology; OVERVIEW ARTICLES; Research Projects; Singing; Songbirds; Speciation; Ventilation; vocal production; United Kingdom; vocal production; adaptive radiation; animal behavior; birdsong; speciation
• ISSN: 0006-3568; 1525-3244
• DOI: 10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0501:BAAVEI]2.0.CO;2

Darwin's finches are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. Field studies have shown that beaks evolve by natural selection in response to variation in local ecological conditions. We posit a new hypothesis: As a consequence of beak evolution, there have been changes in the structure of finch vocal signals. We base this hypothesis on the discovery that beaks play a functional role in song production in songbirds. Recent field studies provide support for a link between beak morphology and song structure in Darwin's finches, although much remains to be learned. Because song plays a significant role in finch mating dynamics, we suggest that the functional link between beaks and song may have contributed to the process of speciation and adaptive radiation in these birds.