Summary: Suzuki (2012)

Antipredator alarm calls are produced by many birds and mammals in response to perceived presence of a predator. Alarm calls often vary in their acoustic structure and are dependent of the level of perceived risk and on the type of predator perceived (e.g. a snake vs. and eagle). These alarm calls are designed to elicit an appropriate escape response by conspecifics, such as looking to the sky or running up a tree. Alarm calls may also encourage individuals to join together to mob predators, but the information contained in the calls is crucial for determining the manner in which to mob. Japanese great tits Pares major minor produce distinct mobbing calls in response to jungle crows Corvus macrorhynchos ('chicka' calls) and Japanese rat snakes Elaphe climacophora ('jar' calls). Suzuki (2012) found that, in a playback experiment, adult birds responded different to the the different mobbing calls: they looked to the sky in response to a 'chicka' call, but gazed toward the ground in response to a 'jar' call. Suzuki (2012) suggests that the mobbing calls of Japanese great tits transmit referential information about the type of predator posing the risk, and also help to elicit appropriate anti-predator (predator-searching) behaviours.