When birds see predators among them, one defensive strategy is to call out loudly, attracting other birds of the same species or species to do the same. Sometimes individuals within this “mobile herd” fly over or at the predator or attack directly. Now, researchers report in the journal Conventional biology on February 25 they have discovered that very good male lyrebirds are doing something unexpected: they imitate a mobile herd in courtship and even in the act of courting a woman.
“Our paper shows that excellent male lyrebirds create a stunning acoustic vision of a flock of moving birds and, in doing so, create a complex but strong view of a hidden predator,” he said. Anastasia Dalziell from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Surprisingly, the males only mimic a moving herd in two contexts: when a potential partner of a male exhibitor is left unattended copying, or at the time of copying itself. These two moments are crucial in male reproductive success, suggesting that imitating a mobile herd is essential. sexual behavior for males. “
Male lyrebirds are already world-renowned for their remarkable ability to mimic complex sounds of human origin such as chain saw. But the reasons for their impressive imitation skills have been somewhat mysterious, Dalziell says.
Dalziell and her colleagues did not initially begin to study mobile simulation. They were intended to replace high-pitched, fiery and musical documentaries. However, to their surprise, they began to hear the male lyrebirds imitating a much sweeter sound at the end of each mating dance performance: the startling alarms of a mixed flock of birds. “It was a very good piece of imitation, if you will excuse the pun,” says Dalziell.
The second surprise was watching and recording a male lyrebird mimicking a mixed-sex mobile herd at the time of copying.
“That looked amazing – in fact it looked unusual,” Dalziell says. “We gradually realized that imitating a mobile herd at the time of copying seemed to be the rule for birdwatchers,” although she noted that copulations are very difficult to see. in lyrebirds. ”It was such a strange and complex behavior that we thought we needed a video to show everyone, and we were lucky enough. record several events. ”
She says it’s not clear how the males benefit from their amazing imitation. However, the evidence suggests that males appear to be setting a kind of “sense trap” for females. Males can gain reproductive advantage by attempting the female to respond as she may be in danger from a predator. Since females need to watch out for predators all the time, the sound of the movement is hard to hear. Dalziell says, “It’s a bit like saying, ‘Baby, it’s dangerous out there. Stay here with me.'” The installation technique could allow copying to happen in the first place or survive. more importantly, preventing women from leaving before sperm has been successfully transfused.As well as being interesting, the findings also extend scientists’ traditional understanding of imitating.
“In the past, biologists have specified that mimicry involves three main characters: simulation, signal capture, and model. But here we have an example of one person – a male lyrebird – which is like a holistic ecological view in which several individuals and multiple species call at the same time, “she says.
The results also show that complex bird songs are not always an honest sign. They can be driven by sexual conflict and delusion, which represents an important departure from conventional explanations for the evolution of songs that rely on female preferences for male abuse, the researchers say. In future studies, the researchers plan to examine women’s attitudes toward moving flocks versus imaginary ones. They also want to understand how the imaginative song benefits men.
They have many other questions as well. For example, Dalziell says, another strange behavior they have observed is that, at the time of copulation, the male holds his wings above the female’s head. “Are the males‘ blindfolded ’females to prevent females from seeking male deception?” She asked.
###
This work was supported by the Australian National University, Rose Cornell Lab Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (EHD), Australian Postgraduate Award (AHD), University of Wollongong Postpoctoral Fellowship (AHD), ARC Discovery Project (RDM), NSF Grant, Institute Hawkesbury for the Environment (JAW), the Stuart Leslie Award program in BirdLife Australia (AHD), and the Geographical Society of Australia (AHD).
Conventional biology, Dalziell et al .: “Male birds create an acoustic illusion of a moving herd during courtship and copulation” https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00210- 4
Conventional biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bi-monthly journal of papers across all fields of biology. Conventional biology seeks to encourage communication across the fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of common interest and through a face-to-face topic accessible to non-experts.
Visit: http: // www.
To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact [email protected].
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! they are not responsible for the accuracy of press releases posted to EurekAlert! by sending institutions or for using any information through the EurekAlert system.