In response to your questions below:
Your question has several answers. My guess is that Pied Currawongs (from
different populations) would not have problems recognizing each other as
being the same species because it is unlikely that species recognition is
based on voice - probably based on plumage colouration, visual displays,
etc. However, there is the possibility that female currawongs would give
little attention to the courtship of males singing the wrong song.
Given that currawongs are exceptionally good learners I would venture to
guess that currawongs learn to sing the correct dialect when they are
very young or more likely during winter when populations intermingle.
Social interaction between males and females during the period when
pair-bonds are form is probably when dialects are established - in this
scenario female preference will control what the male sings and the female
probably prefers songs that she heard sung in her natal area.
Beware: I am speculating here. Does anyone know 1) if currawongs mate
for life 2) are monogamous or 3) if females breed in their natal area?
If they are cooperative breeders I'll have to retract all of the above
and start over (grin).
Cheers, Jim
Wm. James Davis
e-mail
>
> Do Pied Currawongs from different dialect groups recognise each other as
> Pied Currawongs? Do they have any opportunity to do so? Some
> populations are already relatively isolated geographically, eg. those at
> Gariwerd from the main Great Dividing Range some 70-80 km east, and
> maybe this leads to particular local distortions, though there may be
> some intermixing of altitudinal migrants & wanderers in Winter (cf.
> non-breeding time) on the plains between.
>
> On the other hand, Victorian Grey Currawongs seem to me to have much
> more subtle dialects.
>
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