scholarly journals Differently sized cuckoos pose different threats to hosts

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangping Yu ◽  
Mingju E ◽  
Wei Sun ◽  
Wei Liang ◽  
Haitao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Size Variation ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Egg Ejection ◽  
Local Diversity ◽  
Ejection Rate ◽  
Threat Level ◽  
Streptopelia Orientalis ◽  
Tamias Sibiricus ◽  
Nest Predator

Abstract Hole-nesting tits Parus spp. have been classified as “unsuitable” hosts for cuckoo parasitism because cuckoos cannot enter a cavity if the entrance is too small. However, Chinese tits could reject alien eggs and egg ejection rate increased with the local diversity of parasitic cuckoo species. Antiparasitic behavior among Chinese tits may have evolved due to greater size variation among sympatric cuckoo species. This raises the question of whether differently sized parasitic cuckoos pose different threats to Chinese tits. A green-backed tit Parus monticolus population that is sympatric with Asian emerald cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus (eme-cuckoo, small-sized parasite) and common cuckoo Cuculus canorus (com-cuckoo, large-sized parasite), and a cinereous tit P. cinereus population that is only sympatric with com-cuckoo were chosen as study organisms. We observed behavioral response and recorded alarm calls of the 2 tit species to eme-cuckoo, com-cuckoo, chipmunk Tamias sibiricus (a nest predator) and dove Streptopelia orientalis (a harmless control), and subsequently played back alarm calls to conspecific incubating females. In dummy experiments, both tit species performed intense response behavior to chipmunk, but rarely responded strongly to the 3 avian species. In playback experiments, both tit species responded strongly to conspecific chipmunk alarm calls, but rarely responded to dove alarm calls. The intensity of response of incubating female green-backed tits to eme-cuckoo and com-cuckoo alarm calls were similar to that of chipmunk alarm calls, while the intensity to eme-cuckoo alarm calls was higher than the intensity to dove alarm calls which was similar to that of com-cuckoo alarm calls. In contrast, few female cinereous tits responded to eme-cuckoo and com-cuckoo alarm calls. These findings indicated that the threat level of eme-cuckoo was slightly greater than that of com-cuckoo for sympatric green-backed tits, but not for allopatric cinereous tits.

THE EFFECT OF CHANGING CALL DURATION AND CALLING BOUTS ON VIGILANCE IN BRANTS' WHISTLING RAT, PAROTOMYS BRANTSII

Behaviour ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 138 (10) ◽  
pp. 1287-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliza Le Roux ◽  
Michael Cherry ◽  
Tim Jackson
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Call Duration ◽  
Alarm Calling ◽  
Functionally Referential ◽  
Long Calls

AbstractThe function of variation in single call duration and alarm calling bouts was investigated in Brants' whistling rat, Parotomys brantsii, by means of playback experiments and video analyses of the vigilance displayed. Short calls are produced in high-risk situations, and long calls in low-risk encounters, but these calls apparently do not communicate this variance in risk to conspecifics. Both short and long single calls induced heightened vigilance in receivers, but rats did not respond differentially to the two call types, and it was concluded that P.brantsii alarm calls are not functionally referential. Multiple calls maintained a state of increased alertness in receivers for a longer period than single calls, even after the bouts had ended, but long bouts (duration: 64 s) did not lead to longer periods of vigilance than short bouts (29 s). Thus the tonic communication hypothesis is only partially supported by our study.

scholarly journals Heterospecific alarm-call recognition in two warbler hosts of common cuckoos

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1149-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangping Yu ◽  
Hailin Lu ◽  
Wei Sun ◽  
Wei Liang ◽  
Haitao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alarm Call ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Call Recognition ◽  
Accipiter Nisus ◽  
Main Host ◽  
The Common

Abstract Species facing similar selection pressures should recognize heterospecific alarm signals. However, no study has so far examined heterospecific alarm-call recognition in response to parasitism by cuckoos. In this study, we tested whether two sympatric host species of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Oriental reed warbler Acrocephalus orientalis (ORW, main host), and black-browed reed warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps (BRW, rare host), could recognize each other’s alarm calls in response to cuckoos. Dummies of common cuckoo (parasite) and Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus (predator) were used to induce and record alarm calls of the two warbler species, respectively. In the conspecific alarm-call playback experiments, ORW responded more strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than to sparrowhawk alarm calls, while BRW responded less strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than to sparrowhawk alarm calls. In the heterospecific alarm-call playback experiments, both ORW and BRW responded less strongly to cuckoo alarm calls than sparrowhawk alarm calls. BRW seemed to learn the association between parasite-related alarm calls of the ORW and the cuckoo by observing the process of ORW attacking cuckoos. In contrast, alarm calls of BRW to cuckoos were rarely recorded in most cases. BRW with low parasite pressure still developed recognition of heterospecific parasite-related alarm call. Unintended receivers in the same community should recognize heterospecific alarm calls precisely to extract valuable information.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 649-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaojiao Wang ◽  
Canchao Yang
Keyword(s):  
Alarm Call ◽  
Host Responses ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Attack Behavior ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Defense Strategies ◽  
Breeding Stage ◽  
Accipiter Nisus ◽  
Streptopelia Orientalis

Abstract 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.

scholarly journals Male blue monkeys alarm call in response to danger experienced by others

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 472-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Papworth ◽  
Anne-Sophie Böse ◽  
Jessica Barker ◽  
Anne Marijke Schel ◽  
Klaus Zuberbühler
Keyword(s):  
Alarm Call ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Panthera Pardus ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Cercopithecus Mitis ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Blue Monkeys ◽  
Budongo Forest

Male blue monkeys ( Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni ) of Budongo Forest, Uganda, produce two acoustically distinct alarm calls: hacks to crowned eagles ( Stephanoaetus coronatus ) and pyows to leopards ( Panthera pardus ) and a range of other disturbances. In playback experiments, males responded to leopard growls exclusively with a series of pyows and to eagle shrieks predominantly with hacks. Responses to playbacks of these alarm call series matched the responses to the corresponding predators, suggesting that the calls conveyed something about the nature of the threat. When responding to a series of hacks, indicating an eagle, males responded predominately with hacks, but produced significantly more calls if their group members were close to the playback stimulus than far away, regardless of their own position. When responding to a series of pyows, indicating a range of disturbances, males responded with pyows, but call rates were independent of the distance of other group members. The results suggest that males took into account the degree of danger experienced by other group members.

scholarly journals Is the propensity to emit alarm calls associated with health status?

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 607-614
Author(s):  
Austin L Nash ◽  
Alexandra H M Jebb ◽  
Daniel T Blumstein
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Intestinal Parasite ◽  
Intestinal Parasites ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Alarm Calling ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Immune System Activation ◽  
System Activation

Abstract The production and structure of animal signals may depend on an individual’s health status and may provide more than one type of information to receivers. While alarm calls are not typically viewed as health condition dependent, recent studies have suggested that their structure, and possibly their propensity to be emitted, depends on an individual’s health condition and state. We asked whether the propensity of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) to emit calls is influenced by their immunological or parasite status, by quantifying both trap-elicited and natural calling rates as a function of their neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NL) ratio, the presence of a blood borne trypanosome, and the presence of several intestinal parasites (Eimeria sp., Entamoeba sp., and Ascaris sp.). We fitted mixed effects models to determine if the health measures we collected were associated with the probability of calling in a trap and with annual rates of natural alarm calling. Marmots infected with a blood-borne trypanosome were marginally more likely to call naturally and when trapped, while those infected with the intestinal parasite Ascaris were less likely to call when trapped. NL ratio was not directly associated with in-trap calling probability, but males were more likely to call when they had higher NL ratios. Thus, health conditions, such as parasite infection and immune system activation, can modulate the production of alarm signals and potentially provide information to both predators and prey about the caller’s condition. Playback experiments are required to confirm if receivers use such information.

The cessation of contact calls does not provoke or modulate alarm behaviour in a social passerine

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Estelle Meaux ◽  
Chao He ◽  
Luying Qin ◽  
Eben Goodale
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Alarm Call ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Contact Call ◽  
Alarm Calling ◽  
Alarm Behaviour ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Crucial Information

Abstract Vocalizations that signal predation risk such as alarm calls provide crucial information for the survival of group-living individuals. However, alarm calling may attract the predator’s attention and, to avoid this cost, animals can opt for alternative strategies to indicate danger, such as ‘adaptive silence’, which is the cessation of vocalizations. We investigate here whether abrupt contact call cessation would provoke alarm responses, or would reinforce the signal given by an alarm call. In an aviary setting, we conducted playback experiments with a group-living passerine, the Swinhoe’s white-eye, Zosterops simplex. We found that birds did not respond to a sudden call cessation, nor did they have a stronger response to alarm calls followed by silence than to alarm calls followed by contact calls. Confirming previous work investigating contact call rate, it appears that in this species contact calls encode information about social factors but not environmental conditions.

ALARM CALLING IN THREE SPECIES OF MARMOTS

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 731-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Blumstein
Keyword(s):  
Alarm Call ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Micro Structure ◽  
Stimulus Class ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
Alarm Calling ◽  
Degree Of Risk ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

AbstractMany species produce alarm calls that vary according to situation. Theoretically, alarm call structure could covary with predator type and could communicate potentially ''referential information, or calls could covary with the degree of risk a caller experienced when it emitted a call. Using similar methods, I studied the ways in which Olympic (Marmota olympus), hoary (M. caligata), and Vancouver Island marmots (M. vancouverensis) communicated situational variation. I observed both natural alarm calling, and I artificially elicited alarm calls with simulated terrestrial and aerial predators. I used playback experiments to study marmots' responses to different alarm call variants. All three species produced four roughly similar but distinctive loud alarm vocalizations that could be categorized by their relative shape, duration, and whether calls were quickly repeated to create multi-note vocalizations. In addition, the Vancouver Island marmot produced a fifth loud alarm call-the kee-aw. Call micro-structure varied as a function of the distance the caller was from an alarming stimulus and the type of alarming stimulus. Two lines of evidence suggest that all three species had alarm calls associated with the caller's risk (i.e. they were not referential). First, marmots often changed call types within a calling bout: there were no unique stimulus-class specific vocalizations. Second, marmot responses to alarm calls were graded: marmots did not have unique responses to different call types. These three close taxonomic relatives with superficially similar calls, communicated risk differently.

scholarly journals Titi monkeys combine alarm calls to create probabilistic meaning

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. eaav3991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélissa Berthet ◽  
Geoffrey Mesbahi ◽  
Aude Pajot ◽  
Cristiane Cäsar ◽  
Christof Neumann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Communication ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Alarm Call ◽  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Multimodel Inference ◽  
Titi Monkeys ◽  
Callicebus Nigrifrons ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Free Ranging

Previous work suggested that titi monkeys Callicebus nigrifrons combine two alarm calls, the A- and B-calls, to communicate about predator type and location. To explore how listeners process these sequences, we recorded alarm call sequences of six free-ranging groups exposed to terrestrial and aerial predator models, placed on the ground or in the canopy, and used multimodel inference to assess the information encoded in the sequences. We then carried out playback experiments to identify the features used by listeners to react to the available information. Results indicated that information about predator type and location were encoded by the proportion of B-call pairs relative to all call pairs of the sequence (i.e., proportion of BB-grams). The results suggest that the meaning of the sequence is not conveyed in a categorical but probabilistic manner. We discuss the implications of these findings for current theories of animal communication and language evolution.

scholarly journals Behavioral and Acoustic Responses of the Oriental Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis), at Egg and Nestling Stages, to the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaojiao Wang ◽  
Laikun Ma ◽  
Xiangyang Chen ◽  
Canchao Yang
Keyword(s):  
Alarm Calls ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Cuculus Canorus ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Accipiter Nisus ◽  
Dynamic Risk Assessment ◽  
Reproduction Costs ◽  
The Common ◽  
Streptopelia Orientalis ◽  
Acoustic Responses

Cuckoo nest parasites lay eggs in host nests and thereby transfer all reproduction costs to the hosts. This greatly reduces host fitness. Parasitism has selected for the evolution of anti-parasitic strategies in hosts, including nest defense. The dynamic risk assessment hypothesis holds that nest parasitism only threatens the nests during the egg stage, so hosts should reduce the level of defense against nest parasites after the egg stage. We studied the behavioral and acoustic responses of oriental reed warblers (Acrocephalus orientalis), during both the egg and nestling stages, toward the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) and oriental turtle doves (Streptopelia orientalis). A. orientalis can visually distinguish cuckoos from sparrowhawks and doves, indicating that hawk mimicry did not work for the cuckoos. The behavioral response of hosts in the nestling stage was stronger than in the egg stage, which supports the offspring value hypothesis and suggests that cuckoos may also act as nest predators. However, there was no difference in the alarm calls A. orientalis produce in response to different invaders, indicating that different types of alarm calls may not contain specific information.

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