For some reason not sure last post went through in full - try again! From
the Sydney Morning Herald today
Danger linked to mating call
January 20, 2011
IT IS a classic courting trick: take your date to a horror movie in the hope
of snuggling up during the scary scenes. But humans are not the only species
guilty of such behaviour.
Australian male splendid fairy-wrens use fear to make a connection with
potential mates, an American study has found.
Like many bird species, male fairy-wrens attract females with their song.
But birds avoid making these sexual displays in the presence of predators.
Not the male fairy-wren. He will make his mating calls when he hears the
song of his predator, the butcherbird. By ''hitchhiking'' their song on to
that of their predator, the males risk giving away their location.
Researchers from the University of Chicago spent hours playing sound clips
to fairy-wrens in a conservation centre in South Australia to understand
this bold move.
Lead researcher Emma Greig said female wrens became attentive after hearing
butcherbird calls. ''The most exciting possibility is that the songs have a
sexual function, and that females are more easily stimulated by, or
receptive to, displays after being alerted by a predator,'' Dr Greig said.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/danger-linked-to-mating-call-20110119-19wow.html
Chris Gregory
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