Pairs of rufous-and-white wrens sing in concert to keep track of each other. A “call and response” song allows the birds to find each other in the forest.
The wrens' songs are often so closely co-ordinated that human listeners mistake the call for that of a single bird. But Daniel Mennill of the University of Windsor in Canada, says these songs may have more sinister undertones.
“Your first impression after you hear the duet of a pair of tropical birds is one of great harmony and co-operation, but there is a darker side to duets; tropical birds also perform duets in very aggressive contexts, and respond with special aggression to rival individuals of the same sex,” said Mr Mennill.
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