The literature regarding the seet call of the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is unclear as anecdotal accounts indicate it is an aerial alarm. A more recent, comprehensive account indicates it is most likely a contact call. We examined the meaning of seet calls through observations and a playback experiment, both of which support the aerial alarm function of the call. Robins only gave seet calls to aerial predators and many engaged in skygazing, a behavior previously unreported for robins. Robins engaged in three anti-predator behaviors, skygazing, alert, and scanning for significantly more time after hearing an alarm compared to hearing a control. American Robins, like many other birds, probably evolved this call to avoid detection by aerial predators and to warn conspecifics.
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1 June 2009
American Robin Seet Calls: Aerial Alarm or a Contact Call?
E. Natasha Vanderhoff,
Perri K. Eason
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The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Vol. 121 • No. 2
June 2009
Vol. 121 • No. 2
June 2009