Which Call Parameters Signal Threat to Conspecifics in White‐Throated Magpie‐Jay Mobbing Calls?

Ellis, Jesse M.S.

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01439.x

Cited by 27 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Similarly, high-urgency alarm calls tend to have higher amplitude than low-urgency calls. Interestingly, this rule seems to be widespread in a variety of avian taxa, including Paridae (Templeton et al 2005), Phasianidae (Wilson and Evans 2012), and Corvidae (Ellis 2008;Yorzinski and Vehrencamp 2009). …”

Section: Other Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Semantic communication in birds: evidence from field research over the past two decades

Suzuki

2016

Ecological Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What do animal signals mean? This is a central question in studies on animal communication.Research into the semantics of animal signals began in 1980, with evidence that alarm calls of a non-human primate designated predators as external referents. These studies have challenged the historical assumption that such referential signaling is a unique feature of human language and produced a paradigm shift in animal communication research. Over the past two decades, an increasing number of field studies have revealed similar complexity in anti-predator communication of birds. The acoustic structures of avian alarm calls show a high degree of variation in pitch, duration, shape, and repetition rate. In addition to such distinct and graded variations, several birds combine discrete types of notes or calls into higher complex sequences. These variations in alarm calls are typically associated with the predator's attributes, such as predator type and distance, and receivers respond to them with appropriate anti-predator behaviors. Although alarm calls of several bird species, as well as those of monkeys, appear to denote predator attributes, almost nothing is known about the cognitive processes that underlie the production and perception of these signals. In this review, I explore the existing evidence for referential signaling in birds and highlight the importance of the cognitive approach to animal communication research. I hope this review will promote further investigations of alarm-calling behavior in birds and will help enhance our understanding of the ecology and evolution of semantic communication.

show abstract

Section: Other Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Semantic communication in birds: evidence from field research over the past two decades

Suzuki

2016

Ecological Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1999; Baker & Becker 2002) but more often parameters of one call type vary continuously (Templeton et al. 2005; Ellis 2008). Magpie‐jays use far more types than strictly necessary to signal threat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rapid type switching and high diversity could function to dishabituate potential predators. However, magpie‐jay mobbing calls, which are used repeatedly in response to high‐threat predators, vary little in structure, suggesting dishabituation is not critical for important anti‐predator signals (Ellis 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most functions of anti‐predator displays require a limited number of structurally distinct signals. In the context of predators, the apparent variety of LDCs could represent: (1) a graded alarm system, similar to what magpie‐jays use in normal mobbing calls (Ellis 2008), (2) a diverse set of alarm or mobbing calls with different referents (Macedonia & Evans 1993; Hauser 1996), or (3) a single call category used both in self‐advertisement and as an alarm. I assessed whether the apparent diversity of signals given in response to disturbances represented a single monolithic vocal category or multiple distinct call types, and tested whether these vocalizations showed any traits associated with the effects of sexual selection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Anti‐Predator Signals as Advertisements: Evidence in White‐Throated Magpie‐Jays

Ellis

2009

Ethology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Calls and displays elicited by predators usually function as alarms or to inform predators of their detection. However, predator encounters may afford some individuals the opportunity to demonstrate quality or signal their availability. Here, I report on a class of vocal signals produced in predator‐elicited displays that share many characteristics with sexually selected song. White‐throated magpie‐jays (Calocitta formosa) display at low‐threat predators while producing ‘loud display calls’ (LDCs). I use this term because the calls occur primarily in two display contexts (see below) though occasionally in other contexts as well. Such calls and displays are primarily produced by males, and also occur in one other context, at dawn. Playback experiments showed that despite being elicited by predators, males were more likely than females to respond to LDCs, and more likely to respond when their mate was fertile. Over 134 different call types were produced in over 200 displays by 34 males; the largest minimum repertoire size was 67. Presentations of taxidermic raptor mounts elicited some LDCs, but fewer calls and lower diversity than at dawn or in predator approach displays. The male bias and high diversity suggest that LDCs are an outcome of intersexual selection, while their elicitation by predators suggests an alarm function. I propose that male magpie‐jays use predator encounters as opportunities to advertise their presence and availability as mates; they use LDCs as songs. Such a communication system seems to have been favored by the unusual social system of magpie‐jays, in which female groups defend territories and males have little opportunity to defend resources for mate attraction, forcing them to advertise when females are paying the most attention, during predator encounters.

show abstract

“…types, variation in production can transmit useful information, adding to or altering the meaning of the signal [Vehrencamp, 2000;Illes et al, 2006;Ellis, 2008;RiveraGutierrez et al, 2010]. The neural correlates underlying signal variation have been studied in a few cases, but determining how the brain creates variation within a signal type is needed as a first step to understanding the neural basis of communication.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocal Parameters That Indicate Threat Level Correlate with FOS Immunolabeling in Social and Vocal Control Brain Regions

Ellis

Riters²

2011

Brain Behav Evol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Transmitting information via communicative signals is integral to interacting with conspecifics, and some species achieve this task by varying vocalizations to reflect context. Although signal variation is critical to social interactions, the underlying neural control has not been studied. In response to a predator, black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapilla) produce mobbing calls (chick-a-dee calls) with various parameters, some of which convey information about the threat stimulus. We predicted that vocal parameters indicative of threat would be associated with distinct patterns of neuronal activity within brain areas involved in social behavior and those involved in the sensorimotor control of vocal production. To test this prediction, we measured the syntax and structural aspects of chick-a-dee call production in response to a hawk model and assessed the protein product of the immediate early gene FOS in brain regions implicated in context-specific vocal and social behavior. These regions include the medial preoptic area (POM) and lateral septum (LS), as well as regions involved in vocal motor control, including the dorsomedial nucleus of the intercollicular complex and the HVC. We found correlations linking call rate (previously demonstrated to reflect threat) to labeling in the POM and LS. Labeling in the HVC correlated with the number of D notes per call, which may also signal threat level. Labeling in the call control region dorsomedial nucleus was associated with the structure of D notes and the overall number of notes, but not call rate or type of notes produced. These results suggest that the POM and LS may influence attributes of vocalizations produced in response to predators and that the brain region implicated in song control, the HVC, also influences call production. Because variation in chick-a-dee call rate indicates predator threat, we speculate that these areas could integrate with motor control regions to imbue mobbing signals with additional information about threat level.

show abstract

Which Call Parameters Signal Threat to Conspecifics in White‐Throated Magpie‐Jay Mobbing Calls?

Cited by 27 publications

References 24 publications

Semantic communication in birds: evidence from field research over the past two decades

Semantic communication in birds: evidence from field research over the past two decades

Anti‐Predator Signals as Advertisements: Evidence in White‐Throated Magpie‐Jays

Vocal Parameters That Indicate Threat Level Correlate with FOS Immunolabeling in Social and Vocal Control Brain Regions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About