Winged warnings

摘要

Alarm signals emitted by animals may not be all that they seem. But a good example has been identified in the whistling sound of a crested pigeon's wings when it takes flight in response to a predator.rnIn keeping with the principle that there's safety in numbers, animals gain various anti-predatory benefits from forming groups. One such benefit is that an individual in a group can be alerted to danger by a group-mate, rather than by detecting the predator itself. As they recount in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Hingee and Magrath have compiled convincing evidence of an unusual example of this behaviour.