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Updated: Jun 11, 2025

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
Published on: September 12, 2014
The Japanese tits evaluate threat level based on the posture of a predator
Mingju E1,2, Jiangping Jin3, Yu Luo1
1School of Life Sciences, Changchun Normal University, 677 Changjibei Road, Changchun, 130032, China.
Abstract:
Previous studies have shown that the threat level posed by a predator can vary with physical features. In this study, we tested whether the wing posture of a raptor could serve as a clue for bird threat assessment. We observed the behavioral response of Japanese tits Parus minor to taxidermy dummies Eurasian sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus with either spread wings and closed wings. The results showed that the response scores to sparrowhawks with spread wings were higher than those to sparrowhawks with closed wings. We suggested that Japanese tits can assess the predation risk associated with changes in wing posture of predators.
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