The ability to discriminate between individuals or classes of individuals based on distinctive cues is considered a vital skill in cooperative and territorial species. Here, we used playback experiments to determine whether Western Australian Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis discriminate between the territorial carolling calls of intragroup and extra-group conspecifics. Magpies responded more strongly to the playback of carolling calls from extra-group individuals than to the playback of carolling calls from intra-group individuals, spending more time vigilant and carolling in response to extra-group carols. Our results suggest Western Australian Magpies are able to distinguish between individuals within and outside of their social group using only vocal signals and expands on growing research reporting vocal discrimination and individual recognition abilities across species.
Many animals provide information about predator proximity in their alarm calls. In response to predators further away, Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis) produce alarm calls containing fewer notes compared to those produced when predators are closer. Since the ability to make fine-scale adjustments to antipredator responses by being sensitive to the level of urgency in calls may be beneficial, receivers are expected to be able to appropriately decipher and respond to this information. We conducted playbacks to test whether magpies can respond to urgency information in conspecific alarm calls. Magpies were exposed to low-urgency calls (calls with one note), high-urgency calls (calls with four notes), and one- and four-note control calls. Receivers showed greater levels of responsiveness following playbacks of high-urgency calls compared to playbacks of low-urgency and control calls, providing evidence that magpies can respond to information about the urgency of a predator threat from conspecific alarm calls.
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