Research Projects

Birdsong, a natural phenomenon involving the singing of birds, has gained significant attention in biological research to understand ecological and evolutionary interactions. Birdsongs possess regional dialects characteristic of certain populations, which can serve as pre-mating barriers and contribute to an individual's fitness. The Shola Sky Islands, a biodiverse habitat in the Western Ghats, is home to the White-bellied sholakili bird, which has a highly complex song and is known for its evolutionary significance. To address two objectives, researchers will conduct extensive bird sampling of the White-bellied sholakili using mist-netting techniques. Individuals will be color-banded and blood samples will be collected for genetic data. Next-Generation Sequencing techniques will be used to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and focal songs to determine cultural dialects between populations. This study will have broader implications at the species-population level, helping to understand how cultural diversity in birdsong can be linked to gene flow and whether highly plastic behavioral traits like birdsong may serve as reproductive barriers leading to speciation events. The second objective will be to collect song data to determine individual song complexity and link it to fitness parameters of individual birds, such as reproductive success, territory size, and morphometrics (bilateral symmetry). This will be the first study in India to use a non-invasive measure of birdsong complexity to shed light on individual fitness.