Recognition Of Other Species' Aerial Alarm Calls: Speaking The Same Language Or Learning Another?

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 13 Nov 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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How do birds know what another species is saying? Why would French woman jump from a road after an Englishman called "danger"?

Perhaps the English word sounds similar enough to French to allow recognition, the woman has learnt English, the quality of voice indicates urgency, she saw the man leap off the road, or she too saw the bus coming. The same possibilities apply when a bird flees after another species gives an alarm call at the approach of a hawk.

We found that fairy-wrens flee after playback of other species' alarms and probably have to learn the meaning of those calls even if they sound quite similar.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

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