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Localization of Passerine Seeet and Mobbing Calls by Goshawks and Pygmy Owls
Author(s) -
Shalter Michael D.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
zeitschrift für tierpsychologie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0044-3573
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1978.tb01448.x
Subject(s) - mobbing , passerine , alarm , alarm signal , predator , antithesis , predation , territoriality , drone , communication , computer security , ecology , psychology , computer science , biology , social psychology , engineering , linguistics , philosophy , aerospace engineering , genetics
Goshawks and pygmy owls responded to recordings of passerine alarm calls by correctly orienting to their source. The seeet , or “aerial predator” alarm call which is generally assumed to be “non‐localizable”, while it elicited fewer responses than did mobbing calls, was nevertheless accurately localized by all birds that did respond. The evolution of alarm calls is discussed in terms of efficient prey communication, following Darwin's “antithesis principle”, rather than predator selection for non‐localizability.