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Anti-predator Responses of the Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) Flock to Mobbing and Mew Call Playbacks

Journal of Ecology and Environment / Journal of Ecology and Environment, (P)2287-8327; (E)2288-1220
2008, v.31 no.1, pp.69-73
Park, Shi-Ryong (Korean National University of Education)
Song-Yi Lee (Korean National University of Education)
Seokwan Cheong (Korean National University of Education)
Sukyung Kim (Korean National University of Education)

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Abstract

We studied the functional roles of two types of calls, mew calls and mobbing calls, of the black-tailed gull (Larus crassirostris) by examining responses of mixed flocks of gulls to the playback calls. Playback experiments were conducted on four days between 11 May and 5 June 2007 at 16 sites in Sinjindo-ri and Dowhang-ri, Taean-gun, Chungnam province and Imjado, Sinan-gun, Jeonnam province, South Korea. We examined the anti-predator responses of the gulls to the playback trials. We found that gull flocks initially playbacks of the mobbing cal and control (group mobbing) call evoked mobbing. When trials in which no response was recorded were excluded, we found that the gulls responses to mobbing and group mobbing call playbacks was more intense than their response to mew cal playbacks, in that gulls mobbed longer, more guls responded, and gulls took flight after a shorter time interval. However, the intensity of the gulls response did not differ in mobbing cal and group mobbing cal playbacks. The results of this study suggest that the mixed-species flocks of guls discriminate between the mew calls and the mobbing calls.

keywords
Avian communication, Black-tailed gull, Larus crassirostris, Mobbing call

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Journal of Ecology and Environment