Cover Picture and Issue Information

Cover image: Photo of a male downy woodpecker ( Dryobates pubescens ). These birds compete for territories by producing drum displays, in which they rapidly hammer their bill against trees and other objects. We show that the speed at which a drum is produced encodes information about a signaler's motor skill, which receivers then use to evaluate the degree of social threat. Indeed, downy woodpeckers that produce faster drums elicit a more robust aggressive response from territorial residents. Photo credit: Neal Lewis. Photo License: Public Domain Mark 1.0. See paper by Schuppe and Fuxjager (pp. 450–460).