Summary: Elie et al. (2010)

In birds, vocal duetting is a mutual acoustic joint display, usually made by a mated pair, of temporally coordinated vocalisations (vocal or nonvocal sounds). Elie et al. (2010) investigated whether private vocalisations between pairs of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) could be considered vocal duetting. They recorded meeting sequences (vocal sounds made upon return to the nest) and sentinel sequences (vocal sounds made when one individual was outside the nest) to determine whether these sequences fitted the identified criteria for vocal duetting. They found that meeting sequences were more common when separation period increased, whereas sentinel sequences were more common when separation period decreased. For both sequence types, the number of female and male calls were positively correlated, indicating coordination between mates. Elie et al. (2010) propose that these private calls represent duets. Since partners performed coordinated mutual displays, mutual displays represent vocal duets and may function to mediate pair bond maintenance.