Behavioral responses to conspecific mobbing calls are predator‐specific in great tits (<i>Parus major</i>)

Kalb, Nadine; Randler, Christoph

doi:10.1002/ece3.5467

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Experiment 2 was designed to test whether great tits responded more frequently to four chaffinches calling than to one chaffinch calling. Within each experiment, as the focal birds were unbanded, we kept a minimum distance of at least 200 m between experimental sites to ensure independent measures of free‐ranging great tits (Dutour et al., 2017; Kalb & Randler, 2019). Moreover, in our study area, the population density of great tits is quite high (unpublished data).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, in our study area, the population density of great tits is quite high (unpublished data). This allowed us to decrease the minimum distance in those areas to 200 m between playback presentations while still keeping the probability of testing the same individual twice quite low (Kalb & Randler, 2019). A total of 80 individuals (Experiment 1: 48; Experiment 2: 32) were exposed to audio playback experiments.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The experienced ornithologist was kept unaware of the selected soundtrack during all playback experiments to minimize observer bias. Each test was divided into a 30 s baseline of silence followed by playback of chaffinch calls for 30 s. To determine the tit's responses to the different treatments, we measured two behavioral responses: we counted the number of mobbing vocalizations during 30 s of playbacks (Carlson et al., 2017) and we measured the minimum distance to the speaker using a tape measure after the playback (Kalb & Randler, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mobbing responses of great tits (Parus major) do not depend on the number of heterospecific callers

Dutour

Randler

2021

Ethology

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Numerical competence—the ability to estimate and process the number of objects and events—is important during antipredator strategies because it influences individual's survival chances. Animals can benefit from numerical competence during mobbing—when a prey moves toward and vocalizes at or harasses a predator. Mobbing responses of some species are related to the number of conspecific callers, and responses are stronger during playbacks simulating multiple callers. Here, we tested heterospecific individual vocal recognition (IVR) in combination with numerical competence in great tits (Parus major). Since previous work showed that great tits respond to mobbing calls of chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), we predict that great tits showed a stronger response when two or four different individual chaffinches were played back versus only one individual by keeping the duty cycle (number of total calls/min) identical. Individuals were exposed to playbacks simulating calling by one, two or four heterospecific callers, or singing by one caller (control song). Great tits approached the speaker closer and produced more calls during the mobbing calls treatments than during the control treatment (song). However, in contrast to our prediction, great tits responded similarly to mobbing calls from several heterospecific callers as they did toward mobbing calls from one heterospecific caller. Maybe the great tits still are capable of determining the identity of the callers, but what might matter most for them in this very specific situation might be the mobbing intensity. We assume that the duty cycle itself has the stronger impact on the response.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mobbing responses of great tits (Parus major) do not depend on the number of heterospecific callers

Dutour

Randler

2021

Ethology

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“…Great tits alter the number of D notes, as well as the interval between them to discriminate between two common predators [31]. During playback experiments, great tits responded differently concerning different call rates and D call structure [35,36], suggesting that graded signals convey information about the urgency of a threat. In chaffinches ( Fringilla coelebs ), con- and heterospecifics responded with a nearer approach when confronted with the same call when play backed in a higher duty cycle [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Great tits encode contextual information in their food and mobbing calls

2019

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The calling behaviour of Paridae species (i.e. titmice, tits and chickadees) in a predator-related context is well-studied. Parid species are known to alter call types, note composition or call duration according to predation risk. However, how these species encode information about a non-threatening context, such as food sources, has been subject to only few studies. Studies in Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) have shown that this species alters the ratio of C and D notes to encode information about the presence of food and/or the flight behaviour of the signaller. This suggests that parids also use graded signals to encode information about non-predatory contexts. No study to date has directly compared the calls of a feeding context with those of a predation (i.e. mobbing) context. Hence, the aim of this study was to compare the calling behaviour of these two situations in great tits (Parus major). Calls uttered at a feeder were recorded, analysed and compared with calls uttered in front of taxidermy mounts of sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus). In the food context, great tits reduced the number of D notes and increased the number of B, C and E notes compared with the mobbing context. Furthermore, tits produced calls with longer D notes and shorter intervals between D notes than in the mobbing context. This indicates that great tits use two mechanisms of graded signals (i.e. note type and acoustic structure of D calls) to inform conspecifics about the nature of a situation.

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“…2012 ; Suzuki 2012 ; Kleindorfer et al. 2013 ; Suzuki 2014 , 2015 ; Kalb and Randler 2019 ). However, most of the research on alarm call playback has only focused on predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Specific responses of cuckoo hosts to different alarm signals according to breeding stage: a test of the offspring value hypothesis

Wang

Yang

2020

Current Zoology

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The selective pressure exerted by avian brood parasites forces their hosts to evolve specific defense strategies. When subject to brood parasite attack, avian hosts will often emit alarm calls. To date, few studies have examined whether and how host responses to different alarm calls indicative of different enemies vary with the host’s breeding stage. We carried out alarm call playback experiments during both the egg and nestling stages of the oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), a host of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). The playback exemplars were selected from recorded alarm calls of the warbler to the presence of common cuckoos, sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), and oriental turtle doves (Streptopelia orientalis), which represented brood parasite, predator, and harmless control, respectively. The results showed that the oriental reed warblers did not discriminate alarm calls issued to different intruder types, but the intensity of the response was significantly higher in the nestling stage than in the egg stage. Attack behavior related to sparrowhawk alarm calls was absent in the egg stage, but aggressive behavior increased dramatically and exceeded the attack frequency in response to the cuckoo alarm call in the nestling stage, implying a shift in the tradeoff between the parents’ own survival and the loss of offspring. Alarm calls attracted a larger number of conspecifics than members of other species. In general, the oriental reed warbler had consistently stronger responses to different alarm calls in the nestling stage than in the egg stage, supporting the offspring value hypothesis.

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Behavioral responses to conspecific mobbing calls are predator‐specific in great tits (Parus major)

Cited by 30 publications

References 61 publications

Mobbing responses of great tits (Parus major) do not depend on the number of heterospecific callers

Mobbing responses of great tits (Parus major) do not depend on the number of heterospecific callers

Great tits encode contextual information in their food and mobbing calls

Specific responses of cuckoo hosts to different alarm signals according to breeding stage: a test of the offspring value hypothesis

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