A Warbling Tale: Temporal partitioning of Blyth’s Reed Warbler and Paddyfield Warbler- with Yuyutshu

​IEN Research Spotlights are community events hosted by the India Ecoacoustics Network (IEN), where we highlight works of researchers who employ acoustics to explore and understand their environments. These sessions are free and open to join for anyone with an interest in ecoacoustics and environmental research.

We invite you to the 22nd IEN Research Spotlight featuring Yuyutshu.

About the talk:
Resource partitioning is a fundamental ecological mechanism that enables species with overlapping requirements to coexist by dividing available resources in space, time, or type. Acrocephalus dumetorum (Blyth’s reed warbler) and Acrocephalus agricola (Paddy-field warbler), sympatric warblers wintering in India, are acoustically active and share dietary overlap. This study examines how these warblers partition acoustic space to minimize potential foraging competition during the non-breeding season. The analyses are currently underway and the speaker will share any preliminary findings.

About the speaker:
Yuyutshu is a PhD scholar at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, working with Prof. Rohini Balakrishnan. His research focuses on understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbances, particularly artificial light and noise, on urban owls. He was introduced to bioacoustics during his master’s project where he studied the temporal partitioning of two sympatric wintering warbler species. However, the idea of using bird calls to understand an avian study system came from a rather simple—and somewhat stupid—mistake. During an attempt to observe a roost of Pastor roseus (Rosy Starling) in Vadodara, he arrived at the site but after sunset. Since he could no longer see the birds, he tried to estimate the number of starlings present based on their calls. Needless to say, his estimate was off by light-years! Although the idea of estimating their population acoustically did not eventually materialise, it sparked an interest in using sound to study birds and eventually led him to work on bioacoustics and resource partitioning in wintering warblers. Outside research, Yuyutshu enjoys biking, birdwatching, and playing badminton during the leisure.

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