Stephen Nowicki
Professor of Biology
Our lab studies animal communication, asking both proximate and ultimate questions about how signaling systems function and how they evolve. Most of our work is done with birds, although lab members have studied a variety of other taxa. One major theme that runs through our work is to understand how signal reliability (“honesty”) is maintained in the face of the competing evolutionary interests of signal senders and receivers. We use both laboratory experiments and field-based analyses to test hypotheses about the costs of signal production, which theory suggests are necessary to maintain reliability. For example, we have demonstrated that the reliability of birdsong as a signal of quality in the context of mate choice is maintained by variation in the response of young birds to early developmental stress, which in turn affects brain development and song learning. Another theme that runs through our work concerns how animals themselves perceive signals, in particular the role of categorical perception in communication. Our work here began with birdsong, for example demonstrating context-dependent variation in category boundaries that define the smallest acoustic units of song (“notes”), and identifying categorical responses of neurons in the “song system” of the brain to variation in those notes. More recently, we have begun to study categorical perception in visual signaling, demonstrating for example that the carotenoid-based orange-red coloration commonly used in assessment signaling may be perceived categorically. This finding illustrates the connection between our interests in perception and reliability, given that canonical models of reliability assume continuous perception.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- Professor of Biology, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2002
- Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2008
- Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2010
- Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers 2011
- Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, Duke Science & Society, Initiatives 2021
- Bass Fellow, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2004
Contact Information
- 137 Biological Sciences Building, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708
- Duke Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708
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snowicki@duke.edu
(919) 684-6950
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Nowicki Lab Website
- Background
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Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Cornell University 1984
- M.S., Tufts University 1978
- B.S., Tufts University 1976
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Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost, Duke University 2007 - 2018
- Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2001 - 2010
- Dean of the Natural Sciences, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2004 - 2007
- Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers 2002 - 2006
- Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2002 - 2003
- Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Associate Professor, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1999 - 2002
- Associate Professor of Biology, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2000 - 2002
- Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers 2001 - 2002
- Associate Professor of Psychology: Experimental, Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1999 - 2001
- Associate Professor with Tenure, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1994 - 2000
- Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 1994 - 2000
- Associate Professor, Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1994 - 1996
- Assistant Professor, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1989 - 1994
- Assistant Professor, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 1989 - 1994
- Assistant Professor, Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1992 - 1994
- Assistant Research Professor, Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1989
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Leadership & Clinical Positions at Duke
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Director of Graduate Studies, Biology Department, 2002–2004
Dean of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, 2004-2007
Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, 2007-2018
Associate Chair of Biology, Trinity College, 2021-present
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- Recognition
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In the News
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JAN 26, 2022 -
JAN 14, 2022 -
MAY 6, 2021 PBS North Carolina -
OCT 28, 2020 -
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AUG 22, 2020 CNN -
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JAN 31, 2020 National Audubon Society -
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JAN 25, 2019 Science News -
AUG 2, 2018 BBC -
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AUG 1, 2018 Nature -
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JUN 20, 2018 Science Daily -
JUN 20, 2018 National Geographic -
JUN 20, 2018 Science -
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APR 29, 2016 Scientific American -
APR 27, 2016 Scientific American -
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NOV 6, 2015 Inside Higher Ed -
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AUG 10, 2015 International Business Times -
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JAN 29, 2015 Duke Research Blog -
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MAR 26, 2014
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Awards & Honors
- Brill-Baerends Lectureship. Netherlands Society for Behavioural Biology. November 2021
- Faculty Special Recognition Award. Duke Hispanic/Latino Alumni Association. 2017
- Outstanding Faculty Award. Duke Center for LGBT Life. 2012
- Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. February 2010
- Klaus Immelmann Lectureship. Bielefeld University, Germany. 2006
- Fellowship. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. 1999
- Elected Fellow. Animal Behavior Society. 1998
- Sloan Research Fellowship-Neuroscience. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 1990
- Expertise
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Subject Headings
- Acoustics
- Adaptation, Biological
- Animal Communication
- Animals
- Auditory Perception
- Behavior, Animal
- Biological Evolution
- Birds
- Brain
- Communication
- Learning
- Models, Biological
- Muser Mentor
- Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
- Phonology
- Sexual Behavior, Animal
- Singing
- Songbirds
- Sound
- Sound Spectrography
- Stress, Physiological
- Territoriality
- Vocalization, Animal
- Voice
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Global Scholarship
- Research
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Selected Grants
- Washington Duke Scholars Program awarded by Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc. 2016 - 2021
- The COMPASS PROJECT awarded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute 2014 - 2020
- Neural Codes for Vocal Sequences awarded by National Science Foundation 2014 - 2020
- 2017 - 2018 MMUF awarded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 2017 - 2018
- AB Duke Scholars awarded by Angier Biddle Duke Memorial 2017 - 2018
- Funding for AB Duke Scholars program awarded by Angier Biddle Duke Memorial 2016 - 2017
- Collaborative Research: Cognition and Signaling in Songbirds awarded by National Science Foundation 2012 - 2016
- DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Role of Mating System in Sperm Competition and Protein Evolution in /Agelaius/ Blackbirds awarded by National Science Foundation 2011 - 2014
- Impact of early nutrition on neural mechanisms of signal processing awarded by National Institutes of Health 2010 - 2013
- DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Selective pressures shaping aggressive behavoir in females: an experimental approach awarded by National Science Foundation 2007 - 2009
- DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Sources of selection on a complex sexual signal. awarded by National Science Foundation 2005 - 2008
- Supplement: Collaborative Research: Developmental and receiver-dependent costs of avian signals awarded by National Science Foundation 2003 - 2007
- Collaborative Research: Developmental and receiver-dependent costs of avian signals awarded by National Science Foundation 2003 - 2006
- Single Neuron Correlates of Learned Song awarded by National Institutes of Health 2003 - 2006
- DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Implications of production constraints for the function of vocal performance in mate choice awarded by National Science Foundation 2004 - 2006
- DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Fitness cost of nest defense: a trade-off with offspring care? awarded by National Science Foundation 2004 - 2006
- Collaborative Research: Complexity and Information in Avian Signals awarded by National Science Foundation 1999 - 2003
- Dissertation research: Function of multiple signals in avian vocal communication awarded by National Science Foundation 2001 - 2003
- Undergraduate Neurosciences Summer Research Program in Mechanisms of Behavior awarded by National Science Foundation 1999 - 2002
- Doctoral Dissertation: Sound Production in Spiny Lobsters (Palinuridai): Morphological Constraints and the Evolution of Signal Diversity awarded by National Science Foundation 1999 - 2001
- Undergraduate Neurosciences Summer Research Program in Mechanisms of Behavior awarded by National Science Foundation 1998 - 1999
- Dissertation Research: Female Reproductive Coloration in Sceloporus Virgatus (Sauria:Iguanidae): A Functional Analysis awarded by National Science Foundation 1996 - 1999
- Perception, Function and Development of Complex Vocal Signals awarded by National Science Foundation 1995 - 1997
- Undergraduate Neurosciences Summer Research Program in Mechanisms of Behavior awarded by National Science Foundation 1993 - 1996
- Comparative Study of Mechanisms of Vocal Production awarded by National Institutes of Health 1989 - 1995
- Comparative Study of Mechanisms of Vocal Production awarded by National Institutes of Health 1989 - 1992
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External Relationships
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Princeton University Press
- The Teaching Company
- Publications & Artistic Works
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Selected Publications
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Academic Articles
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Searcy, W. A., L. M. Chronister, and S. Nowicki. “Syntactic rules predict song type matching in a songbird.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 77, no. 1 (January 1, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-022-03286-3.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Peters, S., J. Soha, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Are song sequencing rules learned by song sparrows?” Animal Behaviour 192 (October 1, 2022): 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.07.015.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Davis, Alexander, Matthew N. Zipple, Danae Diaz, Susan Peters, Stephen Nowicki, and Sönke Johnsen. “Influence of visual background on discrimination of signal-relevant colours in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 289, no. 1976 (June 2022): 20220756. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0756.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Green, P. A., E. M. George, K. A. Rosvall, S. Johnsen, and S. Nowicki. “Testosterone, signal coloration, and signal color perception in male zebra finch contests.” Ethology : Formerly Zeitschrift Fur Tierpsychologie 128, no. 2 (February 2022): 131–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13247.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Kochvar, K. H., S. Peters, M. N. Zipple, and S. Nowicki. “Maturational changes in song sparrow song.” Journal of Avian Biology 2022, no. 1 (January 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02872.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Searcy, William A., Jill Soha, Susan Peters, and Stephen Nowicki. “Long-distance dependencies in birdsong syntax.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 289, no. 1967 (January 2022): 20212473. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2473.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Searcy, William, Jill Soha, Susan Peters, and Stephen Nowicki. “Variation in vocal production learning across songbirds.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, October 25, 2021.Open Access Copy
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Caves, Eleanor M., Patrick A. Green, Matthew N. Zipple, Dhanya Bharath, Susan Peters, Sönke Johnsen, and Stephen Nowicki. “Comparison of Categorical Color Perception in Two Estrildid Finches.” The American Naturalist 197, no. 2 (February 2021): 190–202. https://doi.org/10.1086/712379.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Green, P. A., N. C. Brandley, and S. Nowicki. “The many dimensions of categorical perception: A response to comments on Green et al.” Behavioral Ecology 31, no. 4 (January 1, 2021): 872. https://doi.org/10.1093/BEHECO/ARAA060.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Zipple, M. N., S. Peters, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Sounds of senescence: Male swamp sparrows respond less aggressively to the songs of older individuals.” Behavioral Ecology 31, no. 2 (January 1, 2021): 533–39. https://doi.org/10.1093/BEHECO/ARZ218.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Zipple, M. N., S. Peters, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Female swamp sparrows do not show evidence of discriminating between the songs of peak-aged and senescent males.” Ethology 127, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13102.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Peniston, James H., Patrick A. Green, Matthew N. Zipple, and Stephen Nowicki. “Threshold assessment, categorical perception, and the evolution of reliable signaling.” Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution 74, no. 12 (December 2020): 2591–2604. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14122.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Dinh, J. P., S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Song performance improves with continued singing across the morning in a songbird.” Animal Behaviour 167 (September 1, 2020): 127–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.018.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Caves, E. M., L. E. Schweikert, P. A. Green, M. N. Zipple, C. Taboada, S. Peters, S. Nowicki, and S. Johnsen. “Variation in carotenoid-containing retinal oil droplets correlates with variation in perception of carotenoid coloration.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 74, no. 7 (July 1, 2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02874-5.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Green, P. A., N. C. Brandley, and S. Nowicki. “Categorical perception in animal communication and decision-making.” Behavioral Ecology 31, no. 4 (January 1, 2020): 859–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/BEHECO/ARAA004.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Caves, Eleanor M., Stephen Nowicki, and Sönke Johnsen. “Von Uexküll Revisited: Addressing Human Biases in the Study of Animal Perception.” Integrative and Comparative Biology 59, no. 6 (December 2019): 1451–62. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icz073.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Searcy, William A., and Stephen Nowicki. “Animal Behavior: The Raised-by-Wolves Predicament.” Current Biology : Cb 29, no. 23 (December 2019): R1243–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.064.Full Text
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Soha, J. A., S. Peters, R. C. Anderson, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Performance on tests of cognitive ability is not repeatable across years in a songbird.” Animal Behaviour 158 (December 1, 2019): 281–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.09.020.Full Text
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Zipple, M. N., S. Nowicki, W. A. Searcy, and S. Peters. “Full life course analysis of birdsong reveals maturation and senescence of highly repeatable song characteristics.” Behavioral Ecology 30, no. 6 (November 8, 2019): 1761–68. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arz146.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., D. Ocampo, and S. Nowicki. “Constraints on song type matching in a songbird.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 73, no. 8 (August 1, 2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-019-2708-6.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., and S. Nowicki. “Birdsong learning, avian cognition and the evolution of language.” Animal Behaviour 151 (May 1, 2019): 217–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.015.Full Text
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Zipple, Matthew N., Eleanor M. Caves, Patrick A. Green, Susan Peters, Sönke Johnsen, and Stephen Nowicki. “Categorical colour perception occurs in both signalling and non-signalling colour ranges in a songbird.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 286, no. 1903 (May 2019): 20190524. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0524.Full Text
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Caves, Eleanor M., Patrick A. Green, Matthew N. Zipple, Susan Peters, Sönke Johnsen, and Stephen Nowicki. “Categorical perception of colour signals in a songbird.” Nature 560, no. 7718 (August 2018): 365–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0377-7.Full Text
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Lachlan, Robert F., Oliver Ratmann, and Stephen Nowicki. “Cultural conformity generates extremely stable traditions in bird song.” Nature Communications 9, no. 1 (June 2018): 2417. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04728-1.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Liu, I. A., J. A. Soha, and S. Nowicki. “Song type matching and vocal performance in territorial signalling by male swamp sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 139 (May 1, 2018): 117–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.03.007.Full Text
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Sewall, Kendra B., Rindy C. Anderson, Jill A. Soha, Susan Peters, and Stephen Nowicki. “Early life conditions that impact song learning in male zebra finches also impact neural and behavioral responses to song in females.” Developmental Neurobiology, April 2018. https://doi.org/10.1002/dneu.22600.Full Text
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DuBois, A. L., S. Nowicki, S. Peters, K. D. Rivera-Cáceres, and W. A. Searcy. “Song is not a reliable signal of general cognitive ability in a songbird.” Animal Behaviour 137 (March 1, 2018): 205–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.01.020.Full Text
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Niederhauser, J. M., A. L. DuBois, W. A. Searcy, S. Nowicki, and R. C. Anderson. “A test of the eavesdropping avoidance hypothesis as an explanation for the structure of low-amplitude aggressive signals in the song sparrow.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 72, no. 3 (March 1, 2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2469-7.Full Text
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Anderson, Rindy C., William A. Searcy, Susan Peters, Melissa Hughes, Adrienne L. DuBois, and Stephen Nowicki. “Song learning and cognitive ability are not consistently related in a songbird.” Animal Cognition 20, no. 2 (March 2017): 309–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1053-7.Full Text
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Peters, S., and S. Nowicki. “Overproduction and attrition: the fates of songs memorized during song learning in songbirds.” Animal Behaviour 124 (February 1, 2017): 255–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.09.019.Full Text
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Klofstad, Casey A., Stephen Nowicki, and Rindy C. Anderson. “How Voice Pitch Influences Our Choice of Leaders When candidates speak, their vocal characteristics-as well as their words-influence voters' attitudes toward them.” American Scientist 104, no. 5 (September 1, 2016): 282–87.Link to Item
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Dubois, A. L., S. Nowicki, and W. A. Searcy. “A test for repertoire matching in eastern song sparrows.” Journal of Avian Biology 47, no. 2 (March 1, 2016): 146–52. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.00811.Full Text
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Akçay, Ç., R. C. Anderson, S. Nowicki, M. D. Beecher, and W. A. Searcy. “Quiet threats: Soft song as an aggressive signal in birds.” Animal Behaviour 105 (July 1, 2015): 267–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.03.009.Full Text
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Liu, I. A., J. E. Johndrow, J. Abe, S. Lüpold, K. Yasukawa, D. F. Westneat, and S. Nowicki. “Genetic diversity does not explain variation in extra-pair paternity in multiple populations of a songbird.” Journal of Evolutionary Biology 28, no. 5 (May 2015): 1156–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12644.Full Text
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Lachlan, Robert F., and Stephen Nowicki. “Context-dependent categorical perception in a songbird.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112, no. 6 (February 2015): 1892–97. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1410844112.Full Text
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Klofstad, Casey A., Rindy C. Anderson, and Stephen Nowicki. “Perceptions of Competence, Strength, and Age Influence Voters to Select Leaders with Lower-Pitched Voices.” Plos One 10, no. 8 (January 2015): e0133779. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0133779.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Nowicki, Stephen, and William A. Searcy. “The evolution of vocal learning.” Current Opinion in Neurobiology 28 (October 2014): 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2014.06.007.Full Text
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Peters, Susan, William A. Searcy, and Stephen Nowicki. “Developmental stress, song-learning, and cognition.” Integrative and Comparative Biology 54, no. 4 (October 2014): 555–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icu020.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Lachlan, R. F., R. C. Anderson, S. Peters, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Typical versions of learned swamp sparrow song types are more effective signals than are less typical versions.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 281, no. 1785 (June 2014): 20140252. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0252.Full Text
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Searcy, William A., Kendra B. Sewall, Jill Soha, Stephen Nowicki, and Susan Peters. “Song-type sharing in a population of Song Sparrows in the eastern United States.” Journal of Field Ornithology 85, no. 2 (June 2014): 206–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12061.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Effects of early auditory experience on the development of local song preference in female swamp sparrows.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 68, no. 3 (March 1, 2014): 437–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1658-7.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Effects of early auditory experience on the development of local song preference in female swamp sparrows.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2014, 1–11.
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Searcy, W. A., C. Akçay, S. Nowicki, and M. D. Beecher. “Aggressive Signaling in Song Sparrows and Other Songbirds” 46 (January 1, 2014): 89–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800286-5.00003-1.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., A. L. DuBois, K. Rivera-Cáceres, and S. Nowicki. “A test of a hierarchical signalling model in song sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 86, no. 2 (August 1, 2013): 309–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.019.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., A. L. DuBois, D. K. Piech, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Male response to an aggressive visual signal, the wing wave display, in swamp sparrows.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 67, no. 4 (April 1, 2013): 593–600. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1478-9.Full Text
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Lachlan, R. F., and S. Nowicki. “How reliable is song learning accuracy as a signal of male early condition?” The American Naturalist 180, no. 6 (December 2012): 751–61. https://doi.org/10.1086/668010.Full Text
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Peters, Susan, Elizabeth P. Derryberry, and Stephen Nowicki. “Songbirds learn songs least degraded by environmental transmission.” Biology Letters 8, no. 5 (October 2012): 736–39. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0446.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., W. A. Searcy, M. Hughes, and S. Nowicki. “The receiver-dependent cost of soft song: A signal of aggressive intent in songbirds.” Animal Behaviour 83, no. 6 (June 1, 2012): 1443–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.03.016.Full Text
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Prather, Jf, S. Peters, R. Mooney, and S. Nowicki. “Sensory Constraints on Birdsong Syntax: Neural Responses to Swamp Sparrow Songs with Accelerated Trill Rates.” Anim Behav 83, no. 6 (June 2012): 1411–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.03.012.Full Text Link to Item
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Anderson, R. C., A. L. Dubois, D. K. Piech, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Receiver response to an aggressive visual signal, the wing-waving display, in swamp sparrows (Accepted).” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2012.
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Lachan, R. F., and S. Nowicki. “Can assessment of song learning accuracy be a reliable signaling system?” American Naturalist 180 (2012): 751–61.
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Searcy, W. A., R. C. Anderson, B. Ballentine, and S. Nowicki. “Limits to reliability in avian aggressive signals (Accepted).” Behaviour, 2012.
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Sewall, K., J. Soha, S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Potential trade-off between vocal ornamentation and spatial ability in a songbird (Submitted).” Biology Letters, 2012.
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Boogert, N. J., R. C. Anderson, S. Peters, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Song repertoire size in male song sparrows correlates with detour reaching, but not with other cognitive measures.” Animal Behaviour 81, no. 6 (June 1, 2011): 1209–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.03.004.Full Text
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DuBois, A. L., S. Nowicki, and W. A. Searcy. “Discrimination of vocal performance by male swamp sparrows.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 65, no. 4 (April 1, 2011): 717–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-010-1073-2.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., and W. A. Searcy. “Are better singers smarter?” Behavioral Ecology 22, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 10–11. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arq081.Full Text
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Prather, Jonathan F., Susan Peters, Stephen Nowicki, and Richard Mooney. “Persistent representation of juvenile experience in the adult songbird brain.” J Neurosci 30, no. 31 (August 4, 2010): 10586–98. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6042-09.2010.Full Text Link to Item
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Searcy, W. A., S. Peters, S. Kipper, and S. Nowicki. “Female response to song reflects male developmental history in swamp sparrows.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 64, no. 8 (April 14, 2010): 1343–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-010-0949-5.Full Text
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Prather, J. F., S. Peters, S. Nowicki, and R. Mooney. “Latent representation of juvenile behaviors in the adult songbird brain.” Journal of Neuroscience 30 (2010): 10586–98.
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Searcy, W. A., S. Peters, S. Kipper, and S. Nowicki. “Female sparrows use song to assess male developmental history.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 64 (2010): 143–1349.
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Searcy, W. A., and S. Nowicki. “The evolution of animal communication: Reliability and deception in signaling systems.” The Evolution of Animal Communication: Reliability and Deception in Signaling Systems, January 1, 2010.
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DuBois, Adrienne L., Stephen Nowicki, and William A. Searcy. “Swamp sparrows modulate vocal performance in an aggressive context.” Biology Letters 5, no. 2 (April 2009): 163–65. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0626.Full Text
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Prather, Jonathan F., Stephen Nowicki, Rindy C. Anderson, Susan Peters, and Richard Mooney. “Neural correlates of categorical perception in learned vocal communication.” Nat Neurosci 12, no. 2 (February 2009): 221–28. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2246.Full Text Link to Item
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Prather, J. F., S. Nowicki, R. C. Anderson, S. Peters, and R. A. Mooney. “Neural correlates of categorical perception in learned vocal communication.” Nature Neuroscience 12 (2009): 121–28.Open Access Copy
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Searcy, W. A., and S. Nowicki. “Sexual selection and the evolution of animal signals,” January 1, 2009, 759–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-008045046-9.01862-3.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., W. A. Searcy, S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Soft song in song sparrows: Acoustic structure and implications for signal function.” Ethology 114, no. 7 (July 1, 2008): 662–76. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2008.01518.x.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., R. C. Anderson, and S. Nowicki. “Is bird song a reliable signal of aggressive intent? A reply.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 62, no. 7 (May 1, 2008): 1213–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-008-0569-5.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Testing the function of song-matching in birds: Responses of eastern male song sparrows Melospiza melodia to partial song-matching.” Behaviour 145, no. 3 (March 1, 2008): 347–63. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853908783402876.Full Text
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Ballentine, B., W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Reliable aggressive signalling in swamp sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 75, no. 2 (February 1, 2008): 693–703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.025.Full Text
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Prather, J. F., S. Peters, S. Nowicki, and R. Mooney. “Precise auditory-vocal mirroring in neurons for learned vocal communication.” Nature 451, no. 7176 (January 17, 2008): 305–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06492.Full Text Link to Item
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Searcy, W. A., and S. Nowicki. “Bird song and the problem of signal reliability.” American Scientist 96 (2008): 114–21.
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Searcy, W. A., and S. Nowicki. “Bird song and the problem of honest communication.” American Scientist 96, no. 2 (January 1, 2008): 114–21. https://doi.org/10.1511/2008.70.3637.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., S. Nowicki, and W. A. Searcy. “Soft song in song sparrows: Response of males and females to an enigmatic signal.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61, no. 8 (June 1, 2007): 1267–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-007-0357-7.Full Text
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Hughes, M., R. C. Anderson, W. A. Searcy, L. M. Bottensek, and S. Nowicki. “Song type sharing and territory tenure in eastern song sparrows: implications for the evolution of song repertoires.” Animal Behaviour 73, no. 4 (April 1, 2007): 701–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.09.013.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., and S. Nowicki. “Signal interception and the use of soft song in aggressive interactions.” Ethology 112, no. 9 (September 1, 2006): 865–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2006.01238.x.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., R. C. Anderson, and S. Nowicki. “Bird song as a signal of aggressive intent.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 60, no. 2 (June 1, 2006): 234–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-006-0161-9.Full Text
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Nowicki, Stephen, and William A. Searcy. “Adaptive priorities in brain development: theoretical comment on Pravosudov et al. (2005).” Behavioral Neuroscience 119, no. 5 (October 2005): 1415–18. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7044.119.5.1415.Full Text
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Anderson, R. C., W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Partial song matching in an eastern population of song sparrows, Melospiza melodia.” Animal Behaviour 69, no. 1 (January 1, 2005): 189–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.02.019.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., and W. A. Searcy. “Song and mate choice in birds: How the development of behavior helps us understand function.” Auk 122, no. 1 (January 1, 2005): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122[0001:SAMCIB]2.0.CO;2.Full Text
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Podos, J., S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Calibration of song learning targets during vocal ontogeny in swamp sparrows, Melospiza georgiana.” Animal Behaviour 68, no. 4 (October 1, 2004): 929–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.11.018.Full Text
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Nowicki, Stephen, and William A. Searcy. “Song function and the evolution of female preferences: why birds sing, why brains matter.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1016 (June 2004): 704–23. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1298.012.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Effects of early nutrition on growth rate and adult size in song sparrows Melospiza melodia.” Journal of Avian Biology 35, no. 3 (May 1, 2004): 269–79. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0908-8857.2004.03247.x.Full Text
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Ballentine, B., J. Hyman, and S. Nowicki. “Vocal performance influences female response to male bird song: An experimental test.” Behavioral Ecology 15, no. 1 (January 1, 2004): 163–68. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arg090.Full Text
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Ballentine, K. V., K. V. B, J. Hyman, and S. Nowicki. “Singing performance influences female response to male bird song: an experimental test.” Behavioral Ecology 15 (2004): 163–68.
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Hyman, J., M. Hughes, W. A. Searcy, and S. Nowicki. “Individual variation in the strength of territory defense in male song sparrows: Correlates of age, territory tenure, and neighbor aggressiveness.” Behaviour 141, no. 1 (January 1, 2004): 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853904772746574.Full Text
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Podos, J., and S. Nowicki. “Performance limits on birdsong,” January 1, 2004, 318–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012473070-0/50014-1.Full Text
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Podos, J., and S. Nowicki. “Beaks, adaptation, and vocal evolution in Darwin's finches.” Bioscience 54, no. 6 (January 1, 2004): 501–10. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0501:BAAVEI]2.0.CO;2.Full Text
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Searcy, S., S. WA, S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Effects of early nutrition on growth rate and adult size in song sparrows.” Journal of Avian Biology 35 (2004): 269–79.
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Searcy, Dillon, Dillon WA, S. Nowicki, and S. Peters. “Phonology and dialect discrimination in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia).” Ethology 109 (2003): 23–35.
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Searcy, W. A., S. Nowicki, and S. Peters. “Phonology and geographic song discrimination in song sparrows.” Ethology 109, no. 1 (January 1, 2003): 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0310.2003.00835.x.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., W. A. Searcy, and S. Peters. “Brain development, song learning and mate choice in birds: a review and experimental test of the "nutritional stress hypothesis".” Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology 188, no. 11–12 (December 2002): 1003–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-002-0361-3.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., W. A. Searcy, T. Krueger, and M. Hughes. “Individual variation in response to simulated territorial challenge among territory-holding song sparrows.” Journal of Avian Biology 33, no. 3 (September 1, 2002): 253–59. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-048X.2002.330307.x.Full Text
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Nowicki, Stephen, William A. Searcy, and Susan Peters. “Quality of song learning affects female response to male bird song.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 269, no. 1503 (September 2002): 1949–54. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2002.2124.Full Text
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Searcy, William A., Stephen Nowicki, Melissa Hughes, and Susan Peters. “Geographic song discrimination in relation to dispersal distances in song sparrows.” The American Naturalist 159, no. 3 (March 2002): 221–30. https://doi.org/10.1086/338509.Full Text
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Mooney, R., W. Hoese, and S. Nowicki. “Auditory representation of the vocal repertoire in a songbird with multiple song types.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98, no. 22 (October 23, 2001): 12778–83. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.221453298.Full Text Link to Item
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Hoese, W. J., and S. Nowicki. “Using "the organism" as a conceptual focus in an introductory biology course.” American Biology Teacher 63, no. 3 (January 1, 2001): 176–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/4451073.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., W. A. Searcy, M. Hughes, and J. Podos. “The evolution of bird song: Male and female response to song innovation in swamp sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 62, no. 6 (January 1, 2001): 1189–95. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.2001.1854.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., D. Hasselquist, S. Bensch, and S. Peters. “Nestling growth and song repertoire size in great reed warblers: evidence for song learning as an indicator mechanism in mate choice.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 267, no. 1460 (December 2000): 2419–24. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2000.1300.Full Text
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Hoese, W. J., J. Podos, N. C. Boetticher, and S. Nowicki. “Vocal tract function in birdsong production: experimental manipulation of beak movements.” The Journal of Experimental Biology 203, no. Pt 12 (June 2000): 1845–55. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.203.12.1845.Full Text
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Hoese, W. J., S. Nowicki, and R. Mooney. “Auditory encoding of multiple song types in the swamp sparrow.” Soc. Neurosci. Abstracts 26 (2000): 2030.
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Peters, S., W. A. Searcy, M. D. Beecher, and S. Nowicki. “Geographic variation in the organization of Song Sparrow repertoires.” Auk 117, no. 4 (January 1, 2000): 936–42. https://doi.org/10.2307/4089632.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., S. Nowicki, and C. Hogan. “Song type variants and aggressive signaling.” Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol 48 (2000): 358–63.
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Searcy, W. A., S. Nowicki, and C. Hogan. “Song type variants and aggressive context.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 48, no. 5 (January 1, 2000): 358–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650000254.Full Text
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Podos, J., S. Nowicki, and S. Peters. “Permissiveness in the learning and development of song syntax in swamp sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 58, no. 1 (July 1999): 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1999.1140.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., S. Nowicki, and S. Peters. “Song types as fundamental units in vocal repertoires.” Animal Behaviour 58, no. 1 (July 1999): 37–44. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1999.1128.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., S. Peters, W. A. Searcy, and C. Clayton. “The development of within-song type variation in song sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 57, no. 6 (June 1999): 1257–64. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1999.1098.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., S. Peters, W. A. Searcy, and C. Clayton. “The development of song variation in song sparrows.” Anim. Behav. 57 (1999): 1257–64.
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Podos, J., S. Nowicki, and S. Peters. “Permissiveness in vocal syntax learning in the swamp sparrow.” Anim. Behav. 58 (1999): 93–103.
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Hughes, M., S. Nowicki, W. A. Searcy, and S. Peters. “Song-type sharing in song sparrows: Implications for repertoire function and song learning.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 42, no. 6 (June 1, 1998): 437–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650050458.Full Text
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Erickson, C. J., S. Nowicki, L. Dollar, and N. Goehring. “Percussive foraging: Stimuli for prey location by aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis).” International Journal of Primatology 19, no. 1 (January 1, 1998): 111–22. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020363128240.Full Text
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Hughes, M., S. Nowicki, and B. Lohr. “Call learning in black-capped chickadees (Parus atricapillus): The role of experience in the development of 'chick-a-dee' calls.” Ethology 104, no. 3 (January 1, 1998): 232–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1998.tb00065.x.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., S. Peters, and J. Podos. “Song learning, early nutrition and sexual selection in.” American Zoologist 38, no. 1 (January 1, 1998): 179–90. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/38.1.179.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., W. A. Searcy, and M. Huches. “The territory defense function of song in song sparrows: A test with the speaker occupation design.” Behaviour 135, no. 5 (January 1, 1998): 615–28. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853998792897888.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., S. Nowicki, and M. Hughes. “The response of male and female song sparrows to geographic variation in song.” Condor 99, no. 3 (January 1, 1997): 651–57. https://doi.org/10.2307/1370477.Full Text
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Peters, S., and S. Nowicki. “Development of tonal quality in birdsong: Further evidence from song sparrows.” Ethology 102, no. 2 (January 1, 1996): 323–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1996.tb01128.x.Full Text
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Strote, J., and S. Nowicki. “Responses to songs with altered tonal quality by adult song sparrows (Melospiza melodia).” Behvavior 130 (1996): 1–15.
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Strote, J., and S. Nowicki. “Responses to songs with altered tonal quality by adult song sparrows (melospiza melodia).” Behaviour 133, no. 3–4 (January 1, 1996): 161–72. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853996x00099.Full Text
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Podos, J., J. K. Sherer, S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Ontogeny of vocal tract movements during song production in song sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 50, no. 5 (January 1, 1995): 1287–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-3472(95)80044-1.Full Text
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Searcy, W. A., J. Podos, S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “Discrimination of song types and variants in song sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 49, no. 5 (January 1, 1995): 1219–26. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1995.0154.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., J. Podos, and F. Valdés. “Temporal patterning of within-song type and between-song type variation in song repertoires.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 34, no. 5 (May 1, 1994): 329–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197003.Full Text
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Lohr, Bernard, Ronald Weisman, and Stephen Nowicki. “The Role of Pitch Cues in Song Recognition By Carolina Chickadees (Parus Carolinensis).” Behaviour 130, no. 1–2 (1994): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853994x00109.Full Text
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Westneat, M. W., J. H. Long, W. Hoese, and S. Nowicki. “Kinematics of birdsong: functional correlation of cranial movements and acoustic features in sparrows.” The Journal of Experimental Biology 182 (September 1993): 147–71. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.182.1.147.Full Text
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Jacobs, M., D. P. Nowacek, D. J. Gerhart, G. Cannon, S. Nowicki, and R. B. Forward. “Seasonal changes in vocalization during behavior of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin.” Estuaries 16, no. 2 (January 1, 1993): 241–46. https://doi.org/10.2307/1352496.Full Text
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Peters, Susan, Peter Marler, and Stephen Nowicki. “Song Sparrows Learn from Limited Exposure to Song Models.” The Condor 94, no. 4 (November 1992): 1016–19. https://doi.org/10.2307/1369302.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., M. Westneat, and W. Hoese. “Birdsong: motor function and the evolution of communication.” Seminars in Neuroscience 4, no. 6 (January 1, 1992): 385–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/1044-5765(92)90046-5.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., P. Marler, A. Maynard, and S. Peters. “Is the Tonal Quality of Birdsong Learned? Evidence from Song Sparrows.” Ethology 90, no. 3 (January 1, 1992): 225–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1992.tb00834.x.Full Text
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Podos, J., S. Peters, T. Rudnicky, P. Marler, and S. Nowicki. “The Organization of Song Repertoires in Song Sparrows: Themes and Variations.” Ethology 90, no. 2 (January 1, 1992): 89–106. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1992.tb00824.x.Full Text
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Lohr, Bernard, Stephen Nowicki, and Ron Weisman. “Pitch Production in Carolina Chickadee Songs.” The Condor 93, no. 1 (February 1991): 197–99. https://doi.org/10.2307/1368629.Full Text
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Nowicki, Stephen, Melissa Hughes, and Peter Marler. “Flight Songs of Swamp Sparrows: Alternative Phonology of an Alternative Song Category.” The Condor 93, no. 1 (February 1991): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.2307/1368599.Full Text
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Ball, G. F., and S. Nowicki. “Assessment of song quality in photorefractory and photosensitive song sparrows.” Animal Behaviour 40, no. 5 (January 1, 1990): 986–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(05)81003-6.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., and D. A. Nelson. “Defining natural categories in acoustic signals: Comparison of three methods applied to 'chick-a-dee' call notes.” Ethology 86 (1990): 89–101.
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Nowicki, S., and G. F. Ball. “Testosterone induction of song in photosensitive and photorefractory male sparrows.” Hormones and Behavior 23, no. 4 (December 1989): 514–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/0018-506x(89)90039-1.Full Text
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Nowicki, S. “Vocal plasticity in captive black-capped chickadees: The acoustic basis and rate of call convergence.” Anim. Behav. 37 (1989): 64–73.
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Nowicki, S. “Vocal plasticity in captive black-capped chickadees: the acoustic basis and rate of call convergence.” Animal Behaviour 37, no. PART 1 (January 1, 1989): 74–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-3472(89)90008-0.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., J. C. Mitani, D. A. Nelson, and P. Marler. “The communicative significance of tonality in birdsong: Responses to songs produced in helium.” Bioacoustics 2 (1989): 35–46.
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Nowicki, S., and P. Marler. “How do birds sing?” Music Perception 5 (1988): 391–426.
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Nowicki, S. “Vocal tract resonances in oscine bird sound production: evidence from birdsongs in a helium atmosphere.” Nature 325, no. 6099 (January 1987): 53–55. https://doi.org/10.1038/325053a0.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., and R. R. Capranica. “Bilateral syringeal coupling during phonation of a songbird.” The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience 6, no. 12 (December 1986): 3595–3610. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.06-12-03595.1986.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., and R. R. Capranica. “Bilateral syringeal interaction in vocal production of an oscine bird sound.” Science (New York, N.Y.) 231, no. 4743 (March 1986): 1297–99. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.3945824.Full Text
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Nowicki, S. “A question of identity: the call of the black-capped chickadee.” Living Bird Quart. 3, no. 1 (1984): 30.
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Nowicki, S. “Flock-specific recognition of chickadee calls.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 12, no. 4 (July 1, 1983): 317–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302899.Full Text
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Eisner, T., and S. Nowicki. “Spider web protection through visual advertisement: Role of the stabilimentum.” Science 219, no. 4581 (January 1, 1983): 185–86. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.219.4581.185.Full Text
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Jackman, R., S. Nowicki, D. J. Aneshansley, and T. Eisner. “Predatory capture of toads by fly larvae.” Science 222, no. 4623 (January 1, 1983): 515–16. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.222.4623.515.Full Text
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Jefson, M., J. Meinwald, S. Nowicki, K. Hicks, and T. Eisner. “Chemical defense of a rove beetle (Creophilus maxillosus).” Journal of Chemical Ecology 9, no. 1 (January 1, 1983): 159–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987779.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., and T. Eisner. “Predatory capture of bombardier beetles by a tabanid fly larva.” Psyche 90 (1983): 119–22.
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Jain, S. C., S. Nowicki, T. Eisner, and J. Meinwald. “Insect repellents from vetiver oil: I. zizanal and epizizanal.” Tetrahedron Letters 23, no. 45 (January 1, 1982): 4639–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0040-4039(00)85675-0.Full Text
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Mammen, D. L., and S. Nowicki. “Individual differences and within-flock convergence in chickadee calls.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 9, no. 3 (October 1, 1981): 179–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302935.Full Text
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Eisner, T., S. Nowicki, M. Goetz, and J. Meinwald. “Red cochineal dye (Carminic acid): Its role in nature.” Science 208 (1980): 1038–40.
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Eisner, T., S. Nowicki, M. Goetz, and J. Meinwald. “Red cochineal dye (carminic acid): Its role in nature.” Science 208, no. 4447 (January 1, 1980): 1039–42. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.208.4447.1039.Full Text
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Nowicki, S., and K. B. Armitage. “Behavior of juvenile yellow-bellied marmots: Play and social integration.” Z. Tierpsychol. 51 (1979): 85–105.
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Book Sections
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Searcy, William A., and Stephen Nowicki. “Animal communication.” In The Behavior of Animals: Mechanisms, Function and Evolution, edited by Johan J. Bolhuis, Luc-Alain Giraldeau, and Jerry A. Hogan, 367–96. Wiley/Blackwell, 2022.
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Searcy, W. A., and S. Nowicki. “Signal reliability and intraspecific deception.” In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, 589–97, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809633-8.90731-3.Full Text
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Conference Papers
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Nowicki, S., E. M. Caves, P. A. Green, M. N. Zipple, D. Bharath, S. Peters, and S. Johnsen. “Differences in categorical color perception between two estrildid finches.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 61:E658–59, 2021.Link to Item
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Nowicki, S., E. M. Caves, L. E. Schweikert, P. A. Green, C. Taboada, M. N. Zipple, S. Peters, and S. Johnsen. “Carotenoid Concentration in Avian Retinal Oil Droplets Correlates with Color Discrimination Across a Perceptual Category Boundary.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 60:E175–E175, 2020.Link to Item
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Caves, E. M., M. N. Zipple, P. A. Green, S. Peters, S. Johnsen, and S. Nowicki. “Categorical Perception of Color Along a Blue-Green Continuum in Female Zebra Finches.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 59:E33–E33. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2019.Link to Item
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Dinh, J. P., S. Nowicki, and S. Peters. “Intra-diel improvement in song performance: swamp sparrows 'warm up' in the morning.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 59:E55–E55. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2019.Link to Item
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Green, P. A., E. M. Caves, M. N. Zipple, S. Peters, S. Johnsen, and S. Nowicki. “Categorical Perception of a Carotenoid-based Assessment Signal.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 59:E87–E87. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2019.Link to Item
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Nowicki, S., A. L. Dubois, S. Peters, K. D. Rivera-Caceres, and W. A. Searcy. “Song is not a reliable signal of general cognitive ability in a songbird.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 59:E170–E170. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2019.Link to Item
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Anderson, R., J. Niederhauser, A. Dubois, S. Nowicki, and W. Searcy. “Are Song Sparrow 'Soft Songs' Adapted for Short-range Communication?” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 57:E192–E192. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2017.Link to Item
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Anderson, R. C., K. B. Sewall, S. Peters, J. A. Soha, and S. Nowicki. “Song as a signal of cognitive ability: effects of early developmental stress on problem solving and song learning in the zebra finch.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 56:E6–E6. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2016.Link to Item
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Sewall, K. B., R. C. Anderson, S. Peters, S. Nowicki, and T. Roth. “Social complexity as a driver of communication and cognition.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 55:E165–E165. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2015.Link to Item
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Anderson, R. C., and S. Nowicki. “Cognitive performance predicts strength of sexual preference in a songbird.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 54:E6–E6. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2014.Link to Item
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Sewall, K. B., J. A. Soha, S. Peters, and S. Nowicki. “A possible trade-off between song and a cognitive metric in song sparrows.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 54:E190–E190. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2014.Link to Item
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Sewall, K. B., and S. Nowicki. “The relationship between testosterone and aggressive phenotype in male song sparrows (Melospiza melodia).” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 52:E326–E326. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2012.Link to Item
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Sewall, Kendra B., and Stephen Nowicki. “The relationship between behavioral syndromes and behavioral plasticity in male song sparrows.” In Integrative and Comparative Biology, 51:E127–E127. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2011.Link to Item
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Hoese, W. J., R. Mooney, and S. Nowicki. “Neural encoding of multiple song types in the swamp sparrow HVc.” In American Zoologist, 40:1059–60. AMER SOC ZOOLOGISTS, 2000.Link to Item
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Nowicki, S., W. A. Searcy, M. Hughes, and J. Podos. “Sexual selection limits evolutionary innovation in birdsong.” In American Zoologist, 39:112A-112A. SOC INTEGRATIVE COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY, 1999.Link to Item
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LOHR, B., S. NOWICKI, and R. WEISMAN. “PITCH PRODUCTION AND PERCEPTION IN CAROLINA CHICKADEE SONGS.” In American Zoologist, 31:A97–A97. AMER SOC ZOOLOGISTS, 1991.Link to Item
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NOWICKI, S., and S. PETERS. “BIRDSONG - MULTIPLE MOTOR PATTERNS IN THE PRODUCTION OF STEREOTYPIC BEHAVIORS.” In American Zoologist, 31:A65–A65. AMER SOC ZOOLOGISTS, 1991.Link to Item
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PODOS, J., and S. NOWICKI. “SONGTYPES IN SONG SPARROWS - APPLICATION OF NUMERICAL TAXONOMY TO THE STUDY OF SONG REPERTOIRE ORGANIZATION.” In American Zoologist, 31:A50–A50. AMER SOC ZOOLOGISTS, 1991.Link to Item
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WESTNEAT, M., J. H. LONG, W. HOESE, and S. NOWICKI. “KINEMATICS OF BIRDSONG IN SPARROWS - FUNCTIONAL CORRELATES OF BEAK AND HEAD MOTION.” In American Zoologist, 31:A65–A65. AMER SOC ZOOLOGISTS, 1991.Link to Item
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NOWICKI, S., S. PETERS, A. MAYNARD, and P. MARLER. “SONG ACQUISITION AND LEARNING FROM PURE TONAL AND HARMONIC MODELS IN A SPARROW.” In American Zoologist, 30:A11–A11. AMER SOC ZOOLOGISTS, 1990.Link to Item
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NOWICKI, S. “REASSESSMENT OF PERIPHERAL AND NEURAL SIMILARITIES AND DISSIMILARITIES IN THE PRODUCTION OF BIRDSONG AND HUMAN SPEECH.” In American Zoologist, 29:A13–A13. AMER SOC ZOOLOGISTS, 1989.Link to Item
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Datasets
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Green, Patrick, Sonke Johnsen, Matthew N. Zipple, stephen Nowicki, Eleanor M. Caves, and Susan Peters. “Data and scripts from: Categorical perception of colour signals in a songbird,” June 12, 2018. https://doi.org/10.7924/r4rx96r99.Data Access
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- Teaching & Mentoring
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Recent Courses
- BIOLOGY 791T: Tutorial 2023
- BIOLOGY 792: Research 2023
- BIOLOGY 89S: First-Year Seminar 2022
- BIOLOGY 268: Mechanisms of Animal Behavior 2022
- BIOLOGY 293: Research Independent Study 2022
- BIOLOGY 792: Research 2022
- NEUROSCI 268: Mechanisms of Animal Behavior 2022
- BIOLOGY 268: Mechanisms of Animal Behavior 2021
- BIOLOGY 791T: Tutorial 2021
- BIOLOGY 792: Research 2021
- NEUROSCI 268: Mechanisms of Animal Behavior 2021
- Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
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Presentations & Appearances
- The beak of the (zebra) finch: A story of perception and the evolution of reliable signaling. UNC-Chapel Hill. September 20, 2022 2022
- Do birds see rainbows? If so, why does it matter?. 2022 International Ornithological Congress. International Ornithologist's Union. August 15, 2022 2022
- Categorical Perception in Animal Signaling. Departmental seminar. Duke Biology. December 6, 2021 2021
- Categorical Perception and the Problem of Reliable Signaling. Brill Baerends Lecture. Netherlands Society for Behavioural Biology . November 25, 2021 2021
- Birdsong and Braininess: How Occam’s Razor Is Sometimes Wrong. PhD Professional Development Workshop. Netherlands Society for Behavioural Biology . November 24, 2021 2021
- Male and female response to behavioral senescence in swamp sparrow song. Wageningen University. November 22, 2021 2021
- Birdsong and Braininess: How Occam’s Razor Is Sometimes Dulled. Huang Fellows Program. July 6, 2021 2021
- A Problem of Honest Signaling: Birdsong and Brain Development. BSURF presentation. Duke Biology. May 25, 2021 2021
- Adventures with a Robotic Bird in a Marsh. "Adventures in Field Research" series. Lincoln Memorial University. March 13, 2021 2021
- Do birds see rainbows? Categorical color perception in the zebra finch. Duke VisionFest. Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. September 11, 2020 2020
- What's birdsong got to do with music, and vice-versa?. Panel on music research in science and the humanties. Duke pSearch. August 1, 2020 2020
- Differences in Categorical Color Perception Between Two Estrildid Finches. Animal Behavior Society Annual Meeting. Animal Behavior Society. July 28, 2020 - July 31, 2020 2020
- The Beak of the (Zebra) Finch: A Story of Perception and the Evolution of Reliable Signaling. Huang Fellows Program. June 25, 2020 2020
- How Do Animals “See” the World and Why Does it Matter?. Wageningen University. May 14, 2020 2020
- The Beak of the (Zebra) Finch: A Story of Perception and the Evolution of Reliable Signaling. Wageningen University. May 14, 2020 2020
- The Beak of the (Zebra) Finch: A Story of Perception and the Evolution of Reliable Signaling. Eastern Carolina University. February 20, 2020 2020
- The Beak of the (Zebra) Finch: A Story of Perception and the Evolution of Reliable Signaling. Duke Program in Ecology. January 14, 2020 2020
- Carotenoid Concentration in Avian Retinal Oil Droplets Correlates with Color Discrimination Across a Perceptual Category Boundary. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. January 3, 2020 - January 7, 2020 2020
- Categorical Perception and the Problem of Reliable Signaling. Dartmouth College. October 18, 2019 2019
- Effects of categorical perception on the reliability of an assessment signal. Joint meeting of the Animal Behavior Society and International Ethological Congress. Animal Behavior Society. July 23, 2019 - July 28, 2019 2019
- Categorical Perception and the Problem of Reliable Signaling. Cornell University. March 18, 2019 2019
- Categorical Perception and the Problem of Reliable Signaling. Tufts University. February 22, 2019 2019
- Categorical Perception and the Problem of Reliable Signaling. Florida Atlantic University. February 11, 2019 2019
- Song is Not a Reliable Signal of General Cognitive Ability in a Songbird. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. January 3, 2019 - January 6, 2019 2019
- From Big Bird to Bird Brains: How Our Feathered Friends Can Help Students Learn Science. December 16, 2013 2013
- From Big Bird to Bird Brains: How Our Feathered Friends Can Help Students Learn Science. December 16, 2013 2013
- Birdsong and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 4, 2012 2012
- Taking Biology from the Newspaper to the Classroom. December 4, 2012 2012
- Taking Biology from the Newspaper to the Classroom. December 4, 2012 2012
- Developmental Stress, Cognition, and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 4, 2011 2011
- Developmental Stress, Cognition, and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 4, 2011 2011
- Taking Biology from the Newspaper to the Classroom. December 4, 2011 2011
- Developmental Stress, Cognition, and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 4, 2010 2010
- Do Animals Lie?. December 4, 2010 2010
- Why Birds Sing, Why Brains Matter. December 4, 2010 2010
- Why Do Bright Students Sometimes Fail Their First College Biology Course?. December 4, 2010 2010
- Why Do Bright Students Sometimes Fail Their First College Biology Course?. December 4, 2010 2010
- Birdsong and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 19, 2009 2009
- Birdsong and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 19, 2009 2009
- Bring Biology to Life. December 19, 2009 2009
- Bring Biology to Life. December 19, 2009 2009
- Active Strategies _x000B_for Motivating All Biology Students. December 19, 2008 2008
- Birdsong and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 19, 2008 2008
- Birdsong and the Problem of Honest Signaling. December 19, 2008 2008
- Brain Development, Sexual Selection, and Mate Choice in Birds. December 19, 2008 2008
- Do Animals Lie?. December 19, 2008 2008
- How Smart Kids Sometimes Fail Their First College Course. December 19, 2008 2008
- On the Aesthetics and Utility of Birdsong. December 19, 2008 2008
- Practical Strategies for Engaging Today’s Biology Student. December 19, 2008 2008
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Service to Duke
- Global Education Committee. 2021 - 2025 2021 - 2025
- Venice International University. Venice International University Academic Council. 2013 - 2025 2013 - 2025
- Bass Connections Faculty Advisory Council. 2012 - 2018 2012 - 2018
- President. Phi Beta Kappa, Beta Chapter of North Carolina. 2009 - 2020 2009 - 2020
- Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. July 2007 - June 2018 2007 - 2018
- Dean of Natural Sciences, Trinity College. July 2004 - June 2007 2004 - 2007
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