Untrained birds' ability to recognise predators with changed body size and colouration in a field experiment

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12310%2F21%3A43902953" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12310/21:43902953 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216208:11310/21:10442510

Result on the web

<a href="https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-021-01807-8" target="_blank" >https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-021-01807-8</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12862-021-01807-8" target="_blank" >10.1186/s12862-021-01807-8</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Untrained birds' ability to recognise predators with changed body size and colouration in a field experiment

Original language description

Background During recognition process, multiple parameters of the encountered stimulus may play a role. Previous studies with wild birds identified the importance of several salient features (e.g., eyes, beak, prominent elements of colouration) which birds use to recognise other bird species, such as predators or nest parasites. In the present study, we observed the responses of passerines visiting winter feeders to stimuli in the form of dummies of Eurasian sparrowhawk which were modified in body size and/or colouration but always carried the salient features of raptors (hooked beak, talons) and one species-specific feature of the sparrowhawk (yellow eyes). In the vicinity of a feeder, we placed a dummy of an unmodified sparrowhawk, life-sized sparrowhawk with pigeon, great tit, or robin colouration, a small, great tit-sized sparrowhawk dummy with unmodified or pigeon colouration, or an unmodified pigeon dummy, which functioned as a harmless control. Then we measured how it affected the number of visits. Results We found that birds were less afraid of small dummies regardless of their colouration than they were of life-sized raptor dummies or even the pigeon dummy. This contrasts with the results of a previous laboratory experiment where great tits&apos; reaction to small dummies was comparably fearful to their response to life-size dummies. In our experiment, birds were also not afraid of life-sized dummies with modified colouration except for a robin-coloured dummy, which caused an equally significant fear reaction as an unmodified sparrowhawk dummy. It is likely that this dummy resembled the colouration of a male sparrowhawk closely enough to cause this effect. Conclusions Based on our observations, we conclude that birds use contextual features to evaluate the size of other birds. Distance and familiar reference points seem to play an important part in this process.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_SC - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the SCOPUS database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10613 - Zoology

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2021

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

BMC Ecology and Evolution

ISSN

2730-7182

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

21

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

000646831900001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85105163790