画眉(Garrulax canorus)是一种常见于国内南方大部分地区的留鸟，主要栖息于海拔1500m以下的低山、丘陵和山脚平原地带的矮树丛和灌木丛中，也栖于林缘、农田、旷野、村落和城镇附近的小树丛、竹林及庭院内，其雄鸟善鸣唱，尤其在繁殖季节更加悠扬婉转，是一种著名的观赏鸟。目前画眉共有G. c. canorus和G. c. owstoni两个亚种，台湾画眉(G. taewanus)为G. c. taewanus亚种独立出来的新种。2007-2009年，我们对河南董寨、浙江乌岩岭、海南尖峰岭、海南吊罗山、海南大田国家级自然保护及台湾的81只画眉进行了研究，其中河南40只，浙江14只，海南18只，台湾9只。通过分析画眉鸣唱的频率和时间相关特征参数，探讨画眉鸣唱的结构特征及其生物学意义，并从音节和句子两个层次上比较不同地区画眉的鸣唱地理变异，探讨鸟类鸣声变异形成的机制。画眉鸣唱的频率范围集中在1kHz到5kHz，句子的持续时间、句子间隔时间以及句子所包含的音素数目、音节数目、音节型数目变异性较大。其鸣唱的多样性、鸣唱速率、音节转换率、重复率具有极显著的相关性。画眉鸣唱句法结构复杂，由句首的颤音及其后的多个短语构成，不同的句子间少有相同的短语，短语内含有多个重复的音节，且重复次数没有固定。短语之间通过过渡音节或直接转换到下一个短语，直接转换又包括完整转换、音素变形、音素省略、音素添加等4种形式，这4种方式又可组合成更多的转换方式。画眉具有效鸣和二重唱行为，它能模仿鹰鹃(Cuculus sparverioides)、强脚树莺(Cettia fortipes)和远东树莺(Cettia canturians)，但模仿并不完全，与被模仿者存在一定的差异，可能与其发声器官的差异及学习的不精准等有关。画眉二重唱形式主要为雌鸟在雄鸟鸣唱开始后鸣叫，于雄鸟结束鸣唱前停止鸣叫，雄鸟在持续时间上完全覆盖雌鸟的叫声。二重唱中，雄性鸣唱比雌性鸣叫提前2.69±0.13s (0.75-5.86s, n=107)，比雌性鸣叫延后1.60±0.10s (0-5.6 s, n=107)。4个地区的画眉在鸣唱的最高频率、最低频率、频宽、句子持续时间、句子间隔时间、句子音节型数目、多样性、鸣唱速率、转换率、重复率、过渡音节比率和短语包含的音节数等特征参数上都表现出了显著的差异，基于鸣声参数对不同地区画眉的判别分析结果表明，河南个体的正判率为100%，浙江个体的正判率为100%，海南个体的正判率为83.3%，台湾个体的正判率为77.8%。

Garrulax canorus is a common resident bird in the south of China, and it mainly distributed in the shrub jungles of hill, hilly land and the plain located at the foothill belt. Additionally, it also distribute in the grove, bamboo jungle and human's garden which locate at the edge of forest, farm land, wilderness, village and town. The male is good at singing, especially in the breeding season. It is a famous captive bird in China. Species was divided into two subspecies on the basis of molecular evidence, and the subspecies G. c. taewanus was listed as a full species: G. taewanus. From 2007 to 2009, 767 songs of 81 individuals were collected from five regions (40 from Henan, 14 from Zhejiang, 18 from Hainan and 9 from Taiwan). Song characters and geographical variations of the songs of the species were studied.The frequency of G. canorus song mainly ranged from 1 kHz to 5 kHz. Clear variations were detected on duration of verse, duration of song interval, number of notes, number of syllables and number of syllable types in verse. The extremely significant correlations were detected on song diversity, song speed, switches rate and repeats rate. The verses were composed of a group of trill and several phrases. There were more repeat syllables in a phrase, and repeat times were not fixed. It can be detected that one phrase can switch to another one directly or via transformation syllables. The directly switched could be divided into main four patterns: completely switch, the shapes of syllable was changed, note was omitted, note was added. And other patterns were composed of these four patterns.Hwamei could perform vocal mimicry and duet. It was found that Hwamei could imitate the song of Large Hawk Cuckoo (Cuculus sparverioides), Brownish-flanked Bush (Cettia fortipes) and Manchurian Bush Warbler (Cettia canturians). These imitations were not perfectly mainly as the difference of vocal organs, habitat and genetic factors of Hwamei and the inaccurate song learning. The duet was aroused from both the male and female. Female begin to call after male sung 2.69±0.13s (5.86-0.75s, n=107) and stopped just before the male finished 1.60±0.10s (0-5.6 s, n=107).There were significant difference in the maximum frequency, minimum frequency, frequency bandwidth in song, duration of verse, duration of song interval, number of syllable types in verse, song diversity, song speed, switches rate between different syllable types, repeats rate of same syllable types, number of syllables in phrase, syllable transition rate of the song of Hwamei from Henan, Zhejiang, Hainan and Taiwan. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) revealed that based on these parameters, Hwamei from four areas can be distinguished with rates of correct classification 92.2%. And the rate of correct classification for Hwamei of Henan is 100%, 100% for the individuals of Zhejiang, 83.3% for Hainan, 77.8% for Taiwan.