DBE - 'no alarms and no surprises'

Katarzyna Losak , Ph.D.

(formerly known as Katarzyna Ratynska)
Currently Technical Assistant at Dept. Animal Morphology
E-mail: borsuczek (at) autograf.pl

Research interest
In my study I compare song variation of Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana from two distinct populations: (i) small, isolated in Norwegia, and (2) abundant, open population from Western Poland. I focus on different level of song variation as song type repertoire, within-song type variation, temporal organisation of song output and so on.

Current Projects
1. "Cheat neighbours and get a female: how age and quality of male affect strategy of acoustic communication in Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana (supported by grant MNiI no. 6P04C 083 25); with T.S. Osiejuk and S. Dale.

Selected publications

Osiejuk, T.S., Losak, K., Dale, S. 2007. Cautious response of inexperienced birds to conventional signal of stronger threat. Journal of Avian Biology 38: 644-649.

Borowiec, M., Losak, K., Osiejuk, T.S., Halupka, K. 2007. Song repertoire is not affected by stress in adult male songbirds, the Whitethroat Sylvia communis. Behaviour 144: 879-887.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratynska, K., Dale, S. 2007. What makes a ‘local song’ in a population of ortolan buntings without common dialect? Animal Behaviour 74: 121-130.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratynska, K., Cygan, J.P. 2007. Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra) males respond differently to alternating and overlapping playback of song. Journal of Ethology 25: 159-168.

Dale, S., Steifetten, Ø., Osiejuk, T.S., Losak, K., Cygan, J.P. 2006. How do birds search for breeding areas at the landscape level? Interpatch movements of ortolan buntings. Ecography 29: 886-898.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratyñska, K., Cygan, J.P. & Dale, S. 2005. Frequency shift in homologue syllables of the Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana. Behavioural Processes 68: 69-83.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratynska, K., Dale, S., Steifetten, Ø. & Cygan, J.P. 2004. Ortolan Buntings Emberiza hortulana mimicking other species and other dialects of own species. Ornis Norvegica 27: 73-79.

Osiejuk, T.S., Olech, B., Ratynska, K., Owsinski, A. & Gromadzka-Ostrowska, J. 2004. Effects of season, plasma testosterone and body size on corncrake (Crex crex) call rhythm. Annales Zoologici Fennici 41: 647-659.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratynska, K., Cygan, J.P. 2004. Signal value of alternating and overlapping singing in Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella. Journal of Ethology 22: 55-61.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratynska, K. 2003. Song repertoire and microgeographic variation in song types distribution in the Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra from Poland. Folia Zoologica 52: 275-286.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratynska, K., Cygan, J.P., Dale, S. 2003. Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana singing like Yellowhammer E. citrinella. Ornis Fennica 80: 38-42.

Osiejuk, T.S., Ratynska, K., Cygan, J.P., Dale, S. 2003. Song structure and repertoire variation in Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana L.) from isolated Norwegian population. Annales Zoologici Fennici 40: 3-16.

links to download papers you may find here