Why would a bird perform a particularly conspicuous display in response to a predator’s call? This strange behavior seems like a recipe for disaster, since it probably alerts the predator to the bird’s presence. But for a species of fairy wren, it’s actually a way for males to get females’ attention, according to a new study in Behavioral Ecology.
The study’s authors set out to determine why male splendid fairy wrens (Malurus splendens) tend to sing a particular melody called a “Type II song” just after gray butcherbirds (Cracticus torquatus) vocalize. Butcherbirds are one of the main predators of fairy wrens. Fairy wren males “hitchhike” their responses so closely on the end of the butcherbird’s call that it sounds almost like a duet. Previous studies suggest that the call is some sort of signal to other fairy wrens—not to the predator. The researchers investigated two possibilities about why fairy wrens might perform this odd behavior.
Read the comments on this post
No comments:
Post a Comment