Social learning of acoustic anti-predator cues occurs between wild bird species.

ABSTRACT: In many species, individuals gather information about their environment both through direct experience and through information obtained from others. Social learning, or the acquisition of information from others, can occur both within and between species and may facilitate the rapid spread of antipredator behaviour. Within birds, acoustic signals are frequently used to alert others to the presence of predators, and individuals can quickly learn to associate novel acoustic cues with predation risk. However, few studies have addressed whether such learning occurs only though direct experience or whether it has a social component, nor whether such learning can occur between species. We investigate these questions in two sympatric species of Parids: blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and g

SUBMITTER: Keen SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7031672 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature