Duetting

Duetting is most developed in tropical species with dense vegetation where visual contact is limited. In some African shrikes and South American wrens, the male and female alternately contribute notes so precisely timed that ornithologists initially described them as a single bird. Duets appear to reinforce pair-bond cohesion, advertise territory occupancy jointly, and help partners locate each other. Playback experiments show that birds recognize their partner's specific contribution to the duet.