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Yin D, Yu J, Jin J, Shen C, Zhang L, Li X, Zhang K, Wang H. Nest box entrance hole size can influence nest site selection and nest defence behaviour in Japanese tits. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01791-0. [PMID: 37231181 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01791-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Birds have the ability to assess the risk of predation in their environment and adjust their antipredation strategies based on this risk information. However, whether nest site selection has effect on subsequent nest defence behaviour has not been studied. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the Japanese tit (Parus minor) exhibits a nest-box hole size preference and whether the entrance hole sizes of nest boxes influence the nest defence behaviour of tits. We hung nest boxes with three different entrance hole sizes (diameters: 6.5 cm, 4.5 cm and 2.8 cm) in our study sites and investigated which nest boxes were occupied by tits. In addition, by using dummy-presentation experiments, we observed the nest defence behaviours of tits that nested in boxes with 2.8 cm and 4.5 cm entrance holes towards common chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus, a small nest predator able to enter these holes) and Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris, a large nest predator unable to enter the 2.8 cm entrance hole). The tits that bred in nest boxes with 2.8 cm entrance holes exhibited more intense nest defence responses to chipmunks than to squirrels. In contrast, the tits that bred in nest boxes with 4.5 cm entrance holes exhibited similar nest defence responses to chipmunks and squirrels. Additionally, Japanese tits that bred in nest boxes with 2.8 cm entrance holes exhibited more intense behavioural responses to chipmunks than those that bred in nest boxes with 4.5 cm entrance holes. Our results suggested that Japanese tits prefer to occupy nest boxes with small holes for breeding and that nest-box characteristics influenced their nest defence behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dake Yin
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Jiangping Yu
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
| | - Jiangping Jin
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Chao Shen
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Xudong Li
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Keqin Zhang
- School of Zoological Science, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, Jilin, 132109, China.
| | - Haitao Wang
- Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
- Jilin Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130024, China.
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Shearer DJ, Beilke EA. Playing it by ear: gregarious sparrows recognize and respond to isolated wingbeat sounds and predator-based cues. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:357-367. [PMID: 35930165 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01663-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The ability to detect an incoming attack provides a final opportunity for an animal to avoid predation. In birds, vision is the main sensory mode in detecting attacks, but auditory cues likely play an important role. The role of auditory cues from predators themselves remains largely unstudied. We evaluated the ability of free-living, gregarious sparrows (Passerellidae) to recognize attacks based on the non-vocal sounds made by predators or indirect auditory cues of ongoing attacks, mainly in the form of brief wingbeat sequences from predatory and non-predatory birds. Behavioral responses to playbacks were video-recorded and expressed in terms of a flock's propensity to respond, either by flushing to cover, becoming vigilant, or both. Sparrows responded equally to hawk wingbeats and those of small passerines. Both predator and non-predator wingbeat sequences induced anti-predator responses, especially when played loudly. Loud control sounds, such as hammering, induced few responses. Birds also responded to the sounds of a walking and running terrestrial predator (a dog), but reactions to the walking predator often involved birds jumping onto objects for a better view of their surroundings rather than immediate flight to cover. In an additional experiment, we examined how characteristics of wingbeat sequences (i.e., the number and cadence of hawk wingbeats) affected passerine responses. It indicated that only two consecutive hawk wingbeats, presented at a natural cadence, are necessary to elicit a strong response to a playback. Single hawk wingbeats induced only weak escape responses, as did artificially slowed cadences. Birds in general likely possess the ability to recognize non-vocal, auditory cues of incoming attacks, which may be produced by approaching threats or departing congeners.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Shearer
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, 2000 W University Ave, Muncie, IN, 47306, USA. .,Department of Biology, Indiana State University, 600 North Chestnut Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809, USA.
| | - Elizabeth A Beilke
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, W-503 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.,Department of Biology, Indiana State University, 600 North Chestnut Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809, USA
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Trnka A, Samaš P. The use of social information about predation risk by foraging house sparrows: a feeder experiment. J ETHOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-021-00720-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Antonová K, Veselý P, Fuchs R. Untrained birds' ability to recognise predators with changed body size and colouration in a field experiment. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:74. [PMID: 33932984 PMCID: PMC8088688 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01807-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During recognition process, multiple parameters of the encountered stimulus may play a role. Previous studies with wild birds identified the importance of several salient features (e.g., eyes, beak, prominent elements of colouration) which birds use to recognise other bird species, such as predators or nest parasites. In the present study, we observed the responses of passerines visiting winter feeders to stimuli in the form of dummies of Eurasian sparrowhawk which were modified in body size and/or colouration but always carried the salient features of raptors (hooked beak, talons) and one species-specific feature of the sparrowhawk (yellow eyes). In the vicinity of a feeder, we placed a dummy of an unmodified sparrowhawk, life-sized sparrowhawk with pigeon, great tit, or robin colouration, a small, great tit-sized sparrowhawk dummy with unmodified or pigeon colouration, or an unmodified pigeon dummy, which functioned as a harmless control. Then we measured how it affected the number of visits. RESULTS We found that birds were less afraid of small dummies regardless of their colouration than they were of life-sized raptor dummies or even the pigeon dummy. This contrasts with the results of a previous laboratory experiment where great tits' reaction to small dummies was comparably fearful to their response to life-size dummies. In our experiment, birds were also not afraid of life-sized dummies with modified colouration except for a robin-coloured dummy, which caused an equally significant fear reaction as an unmodified sparrowhawk dummy. It is likely that this dummy resembled the colouration of a male sparrowhawk closely enough to cause this effect. CONCLUSIONS Based on our observations, we conclude that birds use contextual features to evaluate the size of other birds. Distance and familiar reference points seem to play an important part in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kateřina Antonová
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 12800, Praha 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Veselý
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Fuchs
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 12800, Praha 2, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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A kestrel without hooked beak and talons is not a kestrel for the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio). Anim Cogn 2021; 24:957-968. [PMID: 33742355 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01450-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Birds are strongly motivated to recognize various predators to secure survival and reproductive success. Thus, predator recognition provides a useful tool for the investigation of the process of discrimination and categorization in non-trained animals. The most important role in this process is usually attributed to the prominent unique features shared by all members within the wider category of predators (sharp teeth or beaks, claws, talons and conspicuous eyes). However, birds are also able to discriminate between particular predator species according to their species-specific features (based mainly on colouration). We manipulated general raptor salient features (hooked beak, talons with claws and eyes with supraorbital ridges) and/or species-specific plumage colouration on the dummy of a Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) to investigate their importance in the recognition process of the red-backed shrikes (Lanius collurio) during nest defence. We showed that the presence of general raptor salient features is necessary for the recognition of a predator. The kestrel dummy with natural species-specific colouration with altered raptor salient features was treated by shrikes as a harmless bird. Nevertheless, pronounced changes in colouration also prevented successful recognition of the dummy as a kestrel, even when raptor salient features of a raptor were present.
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Siekiera J, Siekiera A, Jankowiak Ł, Tryjanowski P. Sexual differences in daily foraging patterns among Great tits Parus major established by radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2019.1671496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Łukasz Jankowiak
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology and Anthropology, Institute for Research on Biodiversity, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, Szczecin, PL-71-415, Poland
| | - Piotr Tryjanowski
- Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, Poznań, PL-60-625, Poland
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Breeding southern house wrens exhibit a threat-sensitive response when exposed to different predator models. J ETHOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-017-0528-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Nováková N, Veselý P, Fuchs R. Object categorization by wild ranging birds—Winter feeder experiments. Behav Processes 2017; 143:7-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Cunha FCRD, Fontenelle JCR, Griesser M. Predation risk drives the expression of mobbing across bird species. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Cristovão Ribeiro da Cunha
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Campus Ouro Preto, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, R. Diogo de Vasconcelos, 122, Pilar, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais Brazil, 35400-000
| | - Julio Cesar Rodrigues Fontenelle
- Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais, Laboratório de Pesquisas Ambientais, Campus Ouro Preto, Rua Pandiá Calógeras, 898 - Bauxita, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil,35400-000
| | - Michael Griesser
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30–387 Krakow, Poland
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Amo L, Tomás G, López-García A. Role of chemical and visual cues of mammalian predators in nest defense in birds. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2281-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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11
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Veselý P, Buršíková M, Fuchs R. Birds at the Winter Feeder do not Recognize an Artificially Coloured Predator. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petr Veselý
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Buršíková
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Roman Fuchs
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
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12
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Urbanization affects neophilia and risk-taking at bird-feeders. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28575. [PMID: 27346383 PMCID: PMC4921825 DOI: 10.1038/srep28575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban environments cover vast areas with a high density of humans and their dogs and cats causing problems for exploitation of new resources by wild animals. Such resources facilitate colonization by individuals with a high level of neophilia predicting that urban animals should show more neophilia than rural conspecifics. We provided bird-feeders across urban environments in 14 Polish cities and matched nearby rural habitats, testing whether the presence of a novel item (a brightly coloured green object made out of gum with a tuft of hair) differentially delayed arrival at feeders in rural compared to urban habitats. The presence of a novel object reduced the number of great tits Parus major, but also the total number of all species of birds although differentially so in urban compared to rural areas. That was the case independent of the potentially confounding effects of temperature, population density of birds, and the abundance of cats, dogs and pedestrians. The number of great tits and the total number of birds attending feeders increased in urban compared to rural areas independent of local population density of birds. This implies that urban birds have high levels of neophilia allowing them to readily exploit unpredictable resources in urban environments.
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13
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Dutra LML, Young RJ, Galdino CAB, Vasconcellos ADS. Do apprehended saffron finches know how to survive predators? A careful look at reintroduction candidates. Behav Processes 2016; 125:6-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Revised: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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14
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Cantwell LR, Johnson WT, Kaschel RE, Love DJ, Freeberg TM. Predator-risk-sensitive foraging behavior of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) in response to the head orientation of snake predator models. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2070-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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15
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Freeberg TM, Book DL, Weiner RL. Foraging and Calling Behavior of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) in Response to the Head Orientation of Potential Predators. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Todd M. Freeberg
- Department of Psychology; University of Tennessee; Knoxville TN USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Tennessee; Knoxville TN USA
| | - D. L. Book
- Department of Psychology; University of Tennessee; Knoxville TN USA
| | - Rebecca L. Weiner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Tennessee; Knoxville TN USA
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16
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Who started first? Bird species visiting novel birdfeeders. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11858. [PMID: 26150242 PMCID: PMC4493560 DOI: 10.1038/srep11858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Adapting to exploit new food sources may be essential, particularly in winter, when the impact of food limitation on survival of individuals is critical. One of the most important additional sources of food for birds in human settlements is birdfeeders. At a large spatial scale, we experimentally provided birdfeeders with four different kinds of food to analyze exploitation and use of a novel food supply provided by humans. Nine species started foraging at the new birdfeeders. The species that exploited the new feeders the fastest was the great tit. Use of novel food sources was faster in urban habitats and the presence of other feeders reduced the time until a new feeder was located. Urbanization may be associated with behavioural skills, technical innovations and neophilia resulting in faster discovery of new food sources. This process is accelerated by the experience of feeder use in the vicinity, with a strong modifying effect of the number of domestic cats.
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17
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Trnka A, Trnka M, Grim T. Do rufous common cuckoo females indeed mimic a predator? An experimental test. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alfréd Trnka
- Department of Biology; University of Trnava; Priemyselná 4 SK-918 43 Trnava Slovakia
| | - Michal Trnka
- Department of Biology; University of Trnava; Priemyselná 4 SK-918 43 Trnava Slovakia
| | - Tomáš Grim
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology; Palacký University; 17. listopadu 50 77146 Olomouc Czech Republic
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18
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Increased risk of predation increases mobbing intensity in tropical birds of French Guiana. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467415000061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Stressful environments have been suggested to enhance cooperative behaviours in animal communities. Prey animals living in risky environments can also increase long-term benefits by cooperating with neighbours, such as collectively harassing predators. However, empirical studies have rarely tested this prediction in the wild. In this experimental study we explored whether the perceived predation risk influences cooperative mobbing behaviour in tropical forest birds in French Guiana. The predation risk was increased by 5-d-long presentation of visual and acoustic stimuli of pygmy-owls in 24 locations. In order to examine whether mobbing response can vary in relation to the abundance of local predators, we used the Amazonian pygmy-owl (Glaucidium hardyi) as a common predator and the ferruginous pygmy-owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) as a rare predator in the study area. Our results showed that repeated predator-presentations increased mobbing response over time for the rarer owl species, while this effect was not significant for the common owl species. No effect of repeated presentations of either pygmy-owl species was found on the latency of mobbing. Moreover, mobbing latency was shorter and mobbing response was stronger for the common predator species, the Amazonian pygmy-owl. This study provides experimental evidence that birds exhibit stronger mobbing responses when the predator is locally abundant, while repeated encounters can be perceived as more dangerous when the predator is rare.
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19
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Němec M, Syrová M, Dokoupilová L, Veselý P, Šmilauer P, Landová E, Lišková S, Fuchs R. Surface texture and priming play important roles in predator recognition by the red-backed shrike in field experiments. Anim Cogn 2014; 18:259-68. [PMID: 25107529 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0796-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Revised: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We compared the responses of the nesting red-backed shrikes (Lanius collurio) to three dummies of a common nest predator, the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), each made from a different material (stuffed, plush, and silicone). The shrikes performed defensive behaviour including attacks on all three dummies. Nevertheless, the number of attacks significantly decreased from the stuffed dummy through the plush dummy and finally to the silicone dummy. Our results show that wild birds use not only colours but also other surface features as important cues for recognition and categorization of other bird species. Moreover, the silicone dummy was attacked only when presented after the stuffed or plush dummy. Thus, we concluded that the shrikes recognized the jay only the stuffed (with feathered surface) and plush (with hairy surface) dummies during the first encounter. Recognition of the silicon dummy (with glossy surface) was facilitated by previous encounters with the more accurate model. This process resembles the effect of perceptual priming, which is widely described in the literature on humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Němec
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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20
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Freeberg TM, Krama T, Vrublevska J, Krams I, Kullberg C. Tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) calling and risk-sensitive foraging in the face of threat. Anim Cogn 2014; 17:1341-52. [PMID: 24929843 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0770-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2014] [Revised: 05/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Individuals often produce alarm or mobbing calls when they detect a threat such as a predator. Little is known about whether such calling is affected by the facial orientation of a potential threat, however. We tested for an effect of facial orientation of a potential threat on tufted titmice, Baeolophus bicolor, a songbird that uses chick-a-dee calls in a variety of social contexts. In two studies, a human observer wore an animal mask that either faced or faced away from the focal bird(s). In Study 1, focal birds were individual titmice captured in a walk-in trap, and the observer stood near the trapped bird. In Study 2, focal birds were titmouse flocks utilizing a feeding station and the observer stood near the station. In both studies, calling behavior was affected by mask orientation. In Study 2, foraging and agonistic behavior were also affected. Titmice can therefore perceive the facial orientation of a potential threat, and this perception affects different behavioral systems, including calling. Our results indicate sensitivity of titmice to the facial orientation of a potential predator in two quite different motivational contexts. This work suggests the possibility of strategic signaling by prey species depending upon the perceptual space of a detected predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd M Freeberg
- Department of Psychology, Austin Peay Building 301B, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA,
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The role of key features in predator recognition by untrained birds. Anim Cogn 2014; 17:963-71. [PMID: 24458458 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0728-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2013] [Revised: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The most important role in the recognition and categorization of predators (as well as other animals) is usually attributed to so-called key features. Under laboratory conditions, we tested the role of yellow eyes (specific for the genus Accipiter in European raptors) and hooked beak (common for all European birds of prey) in the recognition of the sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) by untrained great tits (Parus major) caught in the wild. Using wooden dummies, we interchanged either one of these potential key features or the body of the sparrowhawk (predator) and domestic pigeon (harmless bird). The tested tits showed three types of behaviour in the presence of the dummies: fear, interest without fear, and lack of interest. Eye interchange lowered fear of the sparrowhawk, but did not cause fear of the pigeon. Beak interchange did not lower fear of the sparrowhawk. Eye interchange caused increased interest in both species. Thus, a specific sparrowhawk feature is necessary for correct sparrowhawk dummy recognition but a general raptor feature is not. On the other hand, a specific sparrowhawk feature on a pigeon dummy is not enough to prompt sparrowhawk recognition. Thus, key features play an important, but not exclusive, role in predator recognition. An increased interest in some of the modified dummies implies that the tits have a general concept of a sparrowhawk. The individual variability in behaviour of tits is discussed.
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