User:Katied95/sandbox

Article Evaluation

Article: "Mallard" (found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard) Overall this Wikipedia article appears to be a very-written, researched article. Everything in the article is relevant to mallard ducks, specifically information regarding them (ex. breeding, taxonomy, relationships, physical description, etc.). There was enough detail provided that someone completely unaware of this species could gain a proper understanding of what they are, what they look like, and how they behave. Nothing was described in an excessive amount of detail, but I do feel like there could have been more detail on feeding behaviour of mallard ducks, specifically what their feeding behaviour is like under various conditions (ex. food availability and competition). Several sources were cited correctly, although a few pieces of information were missing their citation. All of the links I clicked on appeared to be legitimate sources, further supporting the belief that this is a reliable, credible source. A couple of the sources cited are quite old, though, as in they are dated 2005 or earlier. Enough of the sources cited, though, are within the past 10 years which once again leads to the belief that the information provided in this article is very credible. As for the talk page of this article, there is only one post, but it's a good one. Somebody noticed that a line in the article wasn't entirely accurate, not to mention that is also wasn't listed anywhere in the article it was cited as supposedly being in. The article author was appreciative of the feedback and responded that he fixed his mistake.Katied95 (talk) 22:48, 25 September 2017 (UTC)

Possible topics I may want to update https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_vocalization I would like to see some more detail in the section of the article talking about other whale sounds. Are there any sources out there that have further information on the various sounds humpback whales make? I would also love to know more about what sounds other species of whales make.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_attack I would like to see a section put into the article about the impact climate change, specifically in the oceans, has on shark attacks. The changes happening to our oceans (i.e. rising temperatures) are drawing sharks further towards shore, and I'm confident this has some sort of impact on why and/or how sharks attack humans.Katied95 (talk) 02:10, 10 October 2017 (UTC)

Topic Evaluation Both of these topics have a lot of information already included in the article. It might be hard for you to make meaningful additions. I suggest finding a stub or start article. Here is a link the the Ethology stubs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ethology_stubs Jpethier (talk) 14:28, 13 October 2017 (UTC)jpethier

Finalizing my Topic The topic of my Wikipedia is going to be the calls of the Black-Capped Chickadee. I will be adding on to the "Vocalization" section of the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee. I will be contributing further details on the different calls the Black-Capped Chickadee makes, including male and female differences, varying lengths of each call, and the different reasons Black-Capped Chickadees vocalize in the first place.

Some sources I will use include: (1) Otter, Ken A. 2007. Ecology and Behaviour of Chickadees and Titmice: An Integrated Approach. New York (NY): Oxford University Press. (2) Wilson DR, Mennill DJ. 2011. Duty cycle, not signal structure, explains conspecific and heterospecific responses to the calls of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Behavioral Ecology. 22: 784–790. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arr051. (3) Baker TM, Wilson DR, Mennill DJ. 2012. Vocal signals predict attack during aggressive interactions in black-capped chickadees. Animal Behaviour. 84: 965–974. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.07.022.

Article Draft I will be adding further details to an already-existing Wikipedia article. The general basis of what I want to talk about is already included in the article, I just wish to add more information. I want to expand on the topic of varying lengths of chickadee calls, and why different calls have different lengths. The last sentence of the section, for example, is very brief in the sense that further detail could be provided. I also want to add extra information regarding the contrasting reasons why males and females choose to vocalize. Despite differences in vocalization between the two sexes, males and females sometimes vocalize together - I wish to include some information regarding this, specifically why they do this. The "Vocalization" section of the article does provide a few examples, yet I wish to add a few more as a way to elaborate on the subject.

Article

 * Please note that this information will be added to the "Vocalization" section of the "Black-capped Chickadee" Wikipedia article.

The fee-bee song is produced primarily by males. They sing this song when trying to attract a mate or defend their territory. One of the most recognizable sounds produced, particularly by the males, is the two-note fee-bee song. The range of frequencies at which this song starts from varies; the complete frequency range spans roughly 1 kHz. Within this range male chickadees can sing at various tones. The average starting frequency is approximately 4000 Hz. A decrease of roughly 200 Hz occurs when the first note (fee) is sung, and then another decrease of approximately 400 Hz takes place between the end of fee and the beginning of bee. In spite of these multiple changes in frequency, though, anybody listening to the song only hears a pure high-frequency tone.

A recent study found that female fee-bee songs, despite having the same general structure as male fee-bee songs, also have a few major differences. Both sexes sing a quieter version of this song when they are nearby their nests. When males are out in the wild they may sing this song in defense or to attract a mate. It is rare, but there have been a few accounts of females singing a louder version of the fee-bee song when out alone in the wild, too. The black-capped chickadee is a monomorphic species so it can sometimes be difficult to tell a male and female apart based solely on their singing. A bioacoustic analysis performed on both male and female songs revealed that male fee-bee singing fluctuates more, and the absolute amplitude of both sexes is the same. The fee glissando varies far more in females, which makes identifying each sex easier. The exact purpose of the female fee-bee song is unknown.

Since the mid-1970’s scientists have been studying the chickadees chick-a-dee-dee call. It is produced by both males and females year-round. The syntax form of this particular call consists of four notes: A, B, C, and D. These four notes only ever appear in this consecutive order with each preceding note blending into the next. However, not all four notes may appear in the call. Like other sounds the chickadee produces, it may be heard in multiple different variations. The A and B notes are almost identical to one another in both frequency and duration. The black-capped chickadee possess the ability to quickly notice the difference between these two notes. As for the C and D notes, there is no real similarity between them. The C note fluctuates from low to high to low whereas the D note has a constant frequency. While not confirmed, one study found evidence of a function behind the C and D notes. To be able to recognize the difference between a member of the same species and a potential predator, the D note is required. The C note is needed to locate food.

Neither individual notes nor groups of notes have an equal probability of appearing in the chick-a-dee-dee song. Its syntax form may take on several different structures, but the two most commonly heard are [A][D] and [B][C][D]. The brackets are placed around each note to show that it may be repeated more than once. Any calls that contain the D note more frequently than others are found to be more common.

The gargle noise only lasts for about half a second. Black-capped chickadees develop the gargle noise as a result of learning that starts soon after birth and continues through into adulthood. Social learning in particular is largely influential to the development of this sound. Beginning 30 to 35 days post-birth, strings of low amplitude precursor or sub-gargles are produced for about a minute. At this time the young have several close interactions with their family—they learn to produce such sounds by listening to their parents and siblings. Three chickadee populations were observed at three different sites over eight years, and all of them produced vocalizations that were very similar to one another. Strings of juvenile sub-gargles are almost perfectly continuous and both low and unstable in frequency, yet lacking multiple syllables. When their vocal abilities are fully developed a stable frequency is produced and a variety of syllables are heard that vary in length.

The fee-bee songs of several male black-capped chickadees were monitored to identify their particular frequency. In one particular study a series of both masking and non-masking tones were played to multiple male chickadees at various locations to observe how they responded to interfering and non-interfering signals. When interacting with conspecifics close by, the males matched their frequencies, but when the surrounding environment was noisy with other species the males adapted by increasing the frequency of their song. The males responded quickly to the masking tones by raising their song frequencies. Another study, though, showed that male chickadees sometimes intentionally match the tones of competing conspecifics as a way of showing aggression. Dominant males in a population often compete with lower-ranked males—one is not at a greater or lesser advantage than the other. Singing contests are a way male chickadees decide who in a population gets to mate. When a male loses a contest, particularly a higher-ranking male in the population, there is a high chance they will have difficulty finding a mate.