Tests of the Oddity Effect Hypothesis in mixed-species parid flocks.

ABSTRACT: Although there are major benefits of group membership, there might be severe costs to being in a group for phenotypically rare individuals. Whereas the role of rarity in antipredator behavior is well-documented in fish species, there is little empirical evidence on how rarity affects this behavior within mixed-species avian groups. Understanding this is important for clarifying how various antipredator behaviors function in different social contexts. The Oddity Effect Hypothesis predicts that predators will choose phenotypically rare individuals within groups, and as a response to their oddity, these prey individuals should behave as inconspicuously as possible, often by delaying signaling. Here we examined the role of rarity in data taken from and analyzed separately in two different, pub

SUBMITTER: Selman ZA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12858019 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature