Dear Robert / Bioacusticians,
Birds imitate many kind of sounds, including other species, even not
related species for many reasons I won't explain here. Mimus
polyglottus is an example of mimicry. Another classic example is the
Superb Lyre Bird (Menura novaehollandiae) that imitates camera shots,
ambulances and other related human-made sounds. Check at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y&feature=related
Best,
Paulo C. Pulgarín-R
Instituto de Biología
Universidad de Antioquia
AA. 1226
Medellín-Colombia
Tel: +57(4)341693
Cel: 3128215436
>
> Do you know of anyone interested in the production of psychoacoustic
> illusions
> by animals, particularly birds? I would like to know if anyone is familiar
> the
> subject or with what I experienced when I was in Mexico (Chichen Itza).
>
> I heard a bird that could, in a rapid sequence, imitate the sound of a larger
> wingspread bird taking off toward me, and of twigs rattling as though a heavy
> bird had just launched from a dry branch. I am assuming this is an
> evolutionary
> adaptation to scare away predators of some kind. I know that the
> effectiveness
> of psychoacoustic illusions depends quite a bit on the shape of the
> listener's
> ears, so I'm surprised this illusion worked so well on me. I doubt if this
> ability evolved to scare off humans.
>
> I got the bird to make these sounds several times. It was very similar most
> times, but a couple of times it wasn't quite as convincing or spirited. The
> first time I heard it, I spun around to face the big bird coming at me, but
> there was only a little black bird (perhaps seven inches long) sitting in a
> tree
> about thirty feet away.
>
> I've never come across any information on an animal using psychoacoustics to
> create an illusion.
>
> I'd appreciate any contacts or ideas on this. I'm not a bird watcher, but I
> am
> interested in psychoacoustics because of recordings that
> I make. This is why I knew what I was hearing. I have heard psychoacoustic
> illusions of various kinds, but all of these were produced with software, not
> animals.
>
> Regards, Bob
> Robert A. Yourell
>
> Preparing people for challenges
> "Sounds for Inner Space(tm)"
> Mental Health Resources
> Yourell.com
>
> 619/377-1570
> Toll free: 877/266-8880
> San Diego, California, USA
>
>
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