 |
|
Migrating songbirds learn survival tips on the fly
June 26, 2008(Kingston, ON) - Migrating songbirds take their survival cues from local winged residents when flying through unfamiliar territory, a new Queen's University-led study shows.
It's a case of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," says biologist Joseph Nocera, who conducted the research while working as an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Queen's under the supervision of Biology professor Laurene Ratcliffe.
Avoiding predators can substantially increase a bird's chances of survival during migration, notes Dr. Nocera. But to do that, it first has to recognize who its predators are. "We believe some prey use social cues from other animals to gain information about potential predators," he says.
Findings from the study are published on-line in the current issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
The research team tested whether migratory songbirds observe the anti-predator behaviour of local birds, which are familiar with local predators. One common form of this self-protecting behaviour is "mobbing": The birds approach a potential predator, rapidly changing position around its location and performing restless wing and tail movements while emitting loud, broad-frequency calls. These calls are easily recognizable and act as signals of threat.
Because migrating birds rarely participate in mobs, the researchers speculate that they may gain information about predator location, identity and degree of threat through listening to mob calls of other species residing in the area. To test this theory, they broadcast playbacks of alarm calls that were familiar (black-capped chickadee, common in North America) and foreign (blue-gray tanager, common in Central America) to birds migrating between Canada and Belize.
The Belizean resident birds responded only to the tanager calls, but migrant birds responded to both the tanagers and the chickadees.
These results present the first evidence that migrating birds pay attention to the anti-predator behaviour of local birds during migration, says Dr. Ratcliffe. "We suspect that the behaviour will be found to be a low-cost learning opportunity for migrants."
The next step for the researchers will be to compare sensitivity of migrating birds to unfamiliar mob-calls during their overwintering and migratory phases, and to assess the amount of information the respondents have learned by using predator decoys.
Queen's University
Findings from the study are published on-line in the current issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
The research team tested whether migratory songbirds observe the anti-predator behaviour of local birds, which are familiar with local predators. One common form of this self-protecting behaviour is "mobbing": The birds approach a potential predator, rapidly changing position around its location and performing restless wing and tail movements while emitting loud, broad-frequency calls. These calls are easily recognizable and act as signals of threat.
Because migrating birds rarely participate in mobs, the researchers speculate that they may gain information about predator location, identity and degree of threat through listening to mob calls of other species residing in the area. To test this theory, they broadcast playbacks of alarm calls that were familiar (black-capped chickadee, common in North America) and foreign (blue-gray tanager, common in Central America) to birds migrating between Canada and Belize.
The Belizean resident birds responded only to the tanager calls, but migrant birds responded to both the tanagers and the chickadees.
These results present the first evidence that migrating birds pay attention to the anti-predator behaviour of local birds during migration, says Dr. Ratcliffe. "We suspect that the behaviour will be found to be a low-cost learning opportunity for migrants."
The next step for the researchers will be to compare sensitivity of migrating birds to unfamiliar mob-calls during their overwintering and migratory phases, and to assess the amount of information the respondents have learned by using predator decoys.
Queen's University
Songbirds Current Events and Songbirds News RSSBeavers: Dam good for songbirds
The songbird has a friend in the beaver. According to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the busy beaver's signature dams provide critical habitat for a variety of migratory songbirds, particularly in the semi-arid interior of the West.
Singing to females makes male birds' brains happy
The melodious singing of birds has been long appreciated by humans, and has often been thought to reflect a particularly positive emotional state of the singer.
Is that song sexy or just so-so?
Why is your mate's rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" cute and sexy sometimes and so annoying at other times? A songbird study conducted by Emory University sheds new light on this question, showing that a change in hormone levels may alter the way we perceive social cues by altering a system of brain nuclei, common to all vertebrates, called the "social behavior network."
Unusual ultrasonic vocalization patterns in mice may be useful for modeling autism
Scientists have found novel patterns of ultrasonic vocalizations in a genetic mouse model of autism, adding a unique element to the available mouse behaviors that capture components of the human disease, and representing a new step towards identifying causes and better treatments.
Birds communicate reproductive success in song
Some migratory songbirds figure out the best place to live by eavesdropping on the singing of others that successfully have had baby birds - a communication and behavioral trait so strong that researchers playing recorded songs induced them to nest in places they otherwise would have avoided.
Laurel Wilt of Redbay and Sassafras: Will Avocados be Next?
Scientists with the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS), Iowa State University, and the Florida Division of Forestry have provided the first description of a fungus responsible for the wilt of redbay trees along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Bird brains suggest how vocal learning evolved
Though they perch far apart on the avian family tree, birds with the ability to learn songs use similar brain structures to sing their tunes. Neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center now have an explanation for this puzzling likeness.
Smell-wars between butterflies and ants
Among humans, making yourself smell more alluring than you really are is a fairly harmless, socially accepted habit that maintains a complete perfume industry.
Songbirds offer clues to highly practiced motor skills in humans
The melodious sound of a songbird may appear effortless, but his elocutions are actually the result of rigorous training undergone in youth and maintained throughout adulthood. His tune has virtually "crystallized" by maturity.
For migrating sparrows, kids have a compass, but adults have the map
Even bird brains can get to know an entire continent -- but it takes them a year of migration to do so, suggests a Princeton research team.
More Songbirds Current Events and Songbirds News Articles
 | Songbird by Nancy Lohr Young Truxton Pilcher roams the forests around the British colony of Williamsburg and delights in its birds. But when his father is thrown into gaol, his only thought is to secure the royal pardon that will set Father... |
 | Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons In the Lives of Migratory Birds by Miyoko Chu Until recently, little was known about the lives of songbirds during their travels from autumn until spring. Now scientists have documented mass migrations over the Gulf of Mexico, identified the voices of migrants in the night sky, and showed how songbirds navigate using stars, polarized light, and magnetic fields. Miyoko Chu explores the intricacies underlying the ebb and flow of migration, the... |
 | Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them by Bridget Stutchbury Wood thrush, Kentucky warbler, the Eastern kingbird—migratory songbirds are disappearing at a frightening rate. By some estimates, we may already have lost almost half of the songbirds that filled the skies only forty years ago. Renowned biologist Bridget Stutchbury convincingly argues that songbirds truly are the “canaries in the coal mine”—except the coal mine looks a lot like Earth and... |
 | Audubon 365 Songbirds and Other Backyard Birds Picture-A-Day Calendar 2009 (Picture-A-Day Wall Calendars) by National Audubon Society For America's 70 million birders, 365 Songbirds presents the thrill of a new sighting every day. Close-up and in vivid full color, these are the familiar warblers that flit around the yard, perch on the feeder, and bring music and beauty to our daily lives. An American Goldfinch decked out in bright summer plummage, a robin's nest with a clutch of blue eggs, a Northern Cardinal perched on a... |
 | Songbird Carving With Ernest Muehlmatt: World-Class Ribbon Winner Teaches You How to Carve and Paint 10 Favorite Songbirds by Roger Schroeder, Ernest Muehlmatt |
 | Songbirds of North America 2009 Wall Calendar (Calendar) by Sellers Publishing Inc Songbirds are among North Americas most colorful, melodious types of wildlife. Many songbird species are also easy to attract and observe right in your own backyard. The National Wildlife Federation encourages people to create gardens and landscapes with the needs of songbirds and other wildlife in mind. This calendar, with its lovely photographs and information on species, habitat, and... |
 | Carving Award-winning Songbirds: An Encyclopedia of Carving, Sculpting and Painting Techniques by Lori Corbett This handbook provides all the tools and guidance needed to carve and paint realistic songbirds, including an overview of carving tools, materials, and safety. An in-depth look at carving techniques covers bandsawing basics and songbird anatomy, including instructions on carving the torso, head, and feathers. A special section focuses on the difficult task of carving the legs and feet. Three... |
| Hautman Brother Collection 2009 Calendar: Songbirds by Hautman Brothers | |
| Songbirds in Your Garden - How To Attract, Feed, and Enjoy Birds in Your Garden or Backyard by John K Terres First Perennial Library Edition. A hardcover edition of this book was originally published in 1953 by Thomas Y. Crowell Company. A handsomely illustrated treasury of lore and practical advice on how to make friends with birds, covering all the smaller species and suitable for every region of the United... | |
 | Songbirds 2009 Wall Calendar by Lang Holdings |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |