6533b858fe1ef96bd12b5a09

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Effect of Willow TitPoecile montanusalarm calls on attack rates by Pygmy OwlsGlaucidium passerinum

Jukka SuhonenHeli SiitariOskari HärmäCarita LindstedtSanttu Kareksela

subject

biologyEcologyZoologybiology.organism_classificationAlarm signalPredationALARMPygmy owlWillow titPoecileta1181Animal Science and ZoologyAnimal communicationGlaucidium passerinumEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematics

description

One suggested anti-predator function of alarm calls is to deliver a message to a predator that it has been detected. Moreover, giving the alarm call could provide a signal to the predator that capturing the individual giving the alarm is more difficult than capturing its silent group members, as the caller is probably the most aware of the predator's location. In an aviary experiment using stuffed dummy Willow Tits Poecile montanus, we assessed whether an authentic alarm call given by Willow Tit affected Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum prey preference. In the experiment, the Owls attacked only the ‘silent’ dummy individuals, suggesting that alarm calling could offer direct fitness benefits to the caller by decreasing the attack risk of the caller relative to its group members.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2013-03-16Ibis
https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12026