Manakin’s moving melody: the interplay between courtship dance display and vocalization as a predictor of hybridization in manakins (Aves: Pipridae)

Abstract Behavioural changes can play an essential role in the development of reproductive barriers between populations. Yet, the interplay between courtship dance display and vocalization on hybridization probability remains unexplored. In this study, we used manakins (family Pipridae) to compare courtship vocalization similarity, dance similarity, and their multimodal interaction to quantify the importance and interaction between the courtship elements as predictors for hybridization. This Neotropical bird family shows a large diversity of courtship displays, vocalizations (vocal and non-vocal mechanical sounds) and many natural hybridization occurrences. We found that similarity in courtship vocalization might predict hybridization, although this pattern was strongly influenced by divergence time. We also demonstrated that vocalization similarity, dance similarity, and their multimodal interaction are equally valid predictors for hybridization based on Akaike information criterion model comparison, probably owing to the comparable evolutionary pathways. However, hybridization in manakins is probably linked to a combination of other factors besides vocalization and dance similarity, such as plumage ornamentation. Nevertheless, our findings can improve our understanding of hybridization and how courtship dance display and vocalization influence the speciation process.