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Calling at a cost: elevated nestling calling attracts predators to active nests.
Tonya M Haff1, Robert D Magrath
1Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. tonya.haff@anu.edu.au
Biology Letters
|February 4, 2011
Summary
Nestling bird begging calls can attract predators, increasing predation risk. Parent and offspring antipredator strategies help reduce this risk, confirming a cost to begging behavior.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Animal behavior
- Ecology
Background:
- Nestling begging signals hunger to parents but may attract predators.
- Previous studies often used artificial nests or exaggerated conditions, limiting real-world applicability.
- The cost of begging via predation risk is a key assumption in evolutionary signaling models but lacks direct experimental evidence at active nests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally test the predation risk associated with nestling begging calls at active nests.
- To investigate whether begging vocalizations alone attract predators.
- To examine the role of parent-offspring interactions in mitigating predation risk.
Main Methods:
- Broadcasted short periods of nestling vocalizations or background noise at active white-browed scrubwren nests.
- Observed predator visits and recorded nestling/adult behaviors during playback treatments.
- Compared predator activity and parental/offspring responses between vocalization and noise treatments.
Main Results:
- Predators visited nests significantly more often during periods of elevated nestling calling.
- Calling alone, independent of parental presence or nestling activity, appeared to attract predators.
- Adult birds and nestlings exhibited antipredator behaviors, such as alarm calls and reduced begging, when predators approached.
Conclusions:
- Nestling begging incurs a direct predation cost, even over short durations.
- Predation risk is dynamic and influenced by nestling hunger and predator detection.
- Parent-offspring communication and coordinated antipredator strategies are crucial for brood survival.
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