A sonagram of a single phrase, one of several recorded on May 9, 1960 (the third day of building of nest 1-b 1960), consists of 10 notes, the first of which is distinct. The remaining notes are slurred. This phrase is 1.4 seconds in length.
Songs are delivered most rapidly in the course of territorial disputes and defense. The song is loudest in times of nestbuilding and periods of aggressive behavior. At these times, on clear, calm days, the songs are audible 100 yards away. Singing in the nestling period and post-breeding season is audible at distances of no more than 50 feet; such notes have been termed "whisper songs." Table 1 summarizes singing rates at different periods of the nesting cycle in several situations and under various weather conditions.
Songs are of equal frequency in the immediate vicinity of the nest and elsewhere in the territory. Nice (1929:17) also found this to be true. Perches can be almost at ground level or as high as 60 feet. Forty per cent of my data on song concern singing at heights of more than 20 feet. As indicated in foraging, the lack of competition from aboreal species of vireos presumably contributes to the use of higher perches by Bell Vireos.
No female song was recorded in 1959, but on May 26, 1960, a female was heard to sing once. She appeared at nest 1-f (1960) shortly after the male arrived. Unlike him, she did not participate in building, but seemed to be inspecting the nest. After 30 seconds she sang once—a low garbled phrase—and also scolded once. After this she left. In the meantime the continuously singing male moved two feet away from the nest, then back to it and resumed construction.
The song of the female signaled to the male her departure. Pitelka and Koestner (1942:103) heard a female sing twice after she replaced the male on the nest. Females of three other species of vireos, the Black-capped Vireo, V. atricapillus (Lloyd, 1887:295), the Philadelphia Vireo, V. philadelphicus (Lewis, 1921:33), and the Latimer Vireo, V. latimeri (Spaulding in Pitelka and Koestner, 1942:103) have been heard singing. Lewis and Spaulding also suggest that the song of the female functions as a signal prior to exchange at the nest.
The primary song identifies the singer as a male Bell Vireo. It aids in securing a mate and in warning potential adversaries; also, the song is a signal in certain situations and serves to locate the male.
Table 1. Representative Singing Rates of Breeding Bell Vireos. All Rates Were at Air Temperatures Less Than 86° F. Each Instance Represents Approximately 30 Minutes of Observation.
| Circumstance | Instances | Average rate per minute |
|---|---|---|
| Attraction of mate | 2 | 6.3 |
| Territorial dispute | 5 | 12.8 |
| Nestbuilding | 6 | 7.0 |
| Egglaying | 1 | 3.0 |
| Incubation | 6 | 3.9 |
| Exchange of partners in the incubation period | 1 | 4.0[A] |
| Foraging | 2 | 2.2 |
| "Morning" song | 1 | 28.6[A] |
| "Evening" song | 1 | 1.9[A] |
| Overall average rate per minute 6.3 | ||
[A] Not sustained; data representative of periods less than 5 minutes in length.
2. Courtship song. It is here termed the "congested" song and is comparable to the adult "run-on" song mentioned by Nolan (1960:240). The congested song is a squeaky version of the primary song and is given when birds are engaged in pair-formation, nestbuilding, and egglaying. The delivery is rapid and the sound can be likened to that made by rapidly scraping a bow across a taut violin string. Nolan (in Mumford, 1952:230) is probably speaking of this song when he describes a "tuneless" song that "had a jerky, sputtering quality that characterizes part of the song of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)." More recently (1960:240) he applies the adjectives "twanging," "Bobolink-like," "bubbling," "jerky," and "squeaky." This song is often blended with the primary song and is audible for 75 feet.