Songs of the Ring Ouzels from above Lles de Cerdanya in the Spanish Pyrenees

From May 2, 2005 to May 4 I recorded four Ring Ouzels above Lles de Cerdanya in the Pyenees of Spain. They were in pine forest near the Cap de Rec restaurant. The songs were of three types, simple and complex as in Ring Ouzels in Scotland plus a third type. Simple songs are sung 1 to 4 or 5 times together, typically 3 times. The third type is a combination of simple types sung as a group. I call these groups combo songs. Simple types are sometimes used in combo songs, but some simple songs are sung only as parts of combo types.

The following illustrates first simple songs delivered in a group of three songs and then a combo song, also consisting of three parts:

Three simple songs

A combo song

Why is the combo song worthy of being singled out separately from simple and complex songs? First it represents a new delivery form from birds in the UK. It may occur there but it does not stand out. (I will have to do a search for its occurence in torquatus now that I have found it so frequently in alpestris songs.) Why is a combo song not just a complex song? The sructure and volume is different from complex song, and it occurs in the normal place of simple song groups. See the section on a bird at Les Estables in France for more on combo and complex songs.

The following are links to the repertoires of the four individuals recorded above Lles de Cerdanya.

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