Abstract

Song is an important mechanism in reproductive isolation in birds, and geographic variation in songs can lead to the formation of pre-mating barriers and isolation between populations – the first steps in speciation. In this study, acoustic variation was analysed in the Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis. Through an analysis of song from across the species’ African, European and Asian breeding grounds, I identified 15 distinct dialects. The data presented here suggest that there is a clear difference in song between western birds (Africa and Western Palearctic) and eastern birds (Eastern Palearctic, Indian subcontinent and Indomalaya). Furthermore, similarities between birds in central and eastern Europe and birds in Africa south of the Sahara, and between birds in southwestern Iberia and North Africa imply recent or ongoing exchange between these populations respectively. Further work is required to establish the level of song variation in birds in Oceania.