Desert Cat's Paradise

Desert Cat's Paradise

Felis desertus

"CHEESE!!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Friday, June 24, 2005

Chickadees Sing Complex Warnings

Discovery Channel--Chickadees Sing Complex Warnings

U.S. researchers have discovered one of the most sophisticated signaling systems among animals for warning of danger -- alarm calls that can describe the kind of predator and even its size.

The researchers worked with chickadees living under semi-natural conditions in large, outdoor aviaries with 13 species of live, perched raptors and two species of live mammalian predators: a domestic cat and a ferret, which resembles a weasel, which preys on small birds.

When flying raptors such as hawks, owls and falcons are around, the birds emit a soft, high-pitched "seet" call. But when they see a stationary or perched predator, they voice a loud, wide spectrum "chick-a-dee" alarm call that is composed of several types of syllables.

"Whereas the 'seet' alarm call functions to warn of flying predators, the 'chick-a-dee' mobbing alarm call recruits other chickadees, and often many other species that harass, or mob, a perched predator," Templeton wrote.

Spectrographic analyses of the recorded alarm signal showed that the acoustic features of the calls varied with the size of the predator.

Whoda thunk?

"Hey Tsk! Lard-ass is coming out to refill the bird feeder! And this time she left Fuzzy-slinky-danger in the house. Let's go!"

Click the link at the top for the rest, and for a link to different chickadee calls.

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posted by Desert Cat @ 8:20 AM |

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