Spatial Variation in Birdsong: Ecological Drivers and Behavioural Functions
A special issue of Birds (ISSN 2673-6004).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1296
Editors
Interests: ecoinformatics; bioacoustics; ecoacoustics; soundscape ecology; soundscape analysis
Interests: ecoacoustics;bioacoustics monitoring;pattern recognition; machine learning; signal processing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Birdsong varies dramatically across space because habitat, climate, morphology, culture, and sexual selection all interact. Mapping these patterns answers core ecological and evolutionary questions, aids conservation, and reveals how birds themselves use song cues in territory and mate decisions, fueling a rapid rise in integrative bioacoustics research. This Special Issue invites original research articles and reviews that significantly advance our understanding of the causes and consequences of spatial variation in birdsong. Contributions may focus on single species or entire assemblages, and can work across any spatial scale, from local habitat mosaics to continental flyways. We particularly encourage manuscripts addressing the following:
(1) Acoustic adaptation to vegetation structure, topography, or anthropogenic noise;
(2) Morphological and physiological constraints on frequency, tempo, or repertoire;
(3) Cultural evolution and the transmission error–dispersal balance that shapes dialect boundaries;
(4) Behavioural functions of song divergence in male–male competition, female choice or parent–offspring communication;
(5) Interactive effects of ecology and culture in generating song clines or reproductive isolation;
(6) Macro-ecological modelling of song diversity gradients and their climatic predictors;
(7) Conservation applications such as using song divergence to delineate management units, monitor population connectivity, or assess habitat restoration success;
(8) Methodological advances in field recording, citizen-science bioacoustics platforms, machine-learning classifiers, or geo-statistical tools that facilitate large-scale song analysis.
By synthesising cutting-edge research on the ecological drivers and behavioural functions of spatial song variation, this issue aims to chart the frontiers of avian bioacoustics and highlight its growing role in biodiversity science and conservation.
Dr. Jie Xie
Prof. Dr. Juan Gabriel Colonna
Dr. Shufei Duan
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Birds is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- bioacoustics
- birdsong
- acoustic adaptation
- conservation
- spatial variation
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