Terrestrial predator alarm vocalizations are a valid monitor of stress in captive brown capuchins (Cebus apella)
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1999)18:43.3.CO;2-X The vocal behavior of captive animals is increasingly exploited as an index of well-being. Here we show that the terrestrial predator alarm (TPA) vocalization, a robust and acoustically distinctive anti-predation vocal response present in many mammal and bird species, offers useful information on the relative well-being and stress levels of captive animals. In […]
Predator-associated vocalizations in North American red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus: are alarm calls predator specific?
North American red squirrels are a small-bodied, solitary territorial species that faces a diversity of predators. One report suggested that red squirrels produce two distinct vocalizations to aerial and ground predators: a tonal [`]seet’ and a broadband [`]bark’, respectively. This categorical mapping between alarm call variants and predator classes suggested that red squirrels might manifest […]
Learning to listen? Nestling response to heterospecific alarm calls
Many nestling birds go silent in response to parental alarm calls, potentially lowering their risk of being overheard by predators. Parents are not always nearby, however, and so offspring could also benefit if they respond to the alarm calls of other species. Response could be innate, particularly if heterospecific alarm calls are acoustically similar to […]
Eavesdropping on the neighbours: fledglings learn to respond to heterospecific alarm calls
Young birds and mammals suffer from a high risk of predation, and should be under strong selection for early response to cues indicating danger, including the alarm calls of other species. Despite this prediction, there has been little investigation of the development of response by young animals to heterospecific alarm calls, and none on fledgling […]
Ambient noise and parental communication of predation risk in tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor
Ambient noise can mask important acoustic signals used in a variety of communication systems, especially if signals are not adjusted to improve transmission in noise. Nestling birds communicate with their parents using loud begging calls that convey their need for food, but that also attract predators to the nest. Parents can reduce this vulnerability by […]