Koko News | Science | 2 days ago

Birds Listen in on Prairie Dogs to Stay Safe

Ifwetoldyouthatsomebirdslisteninonthecallsofprairiedogs, youmightthinktheyshouldkeeptheirbeaksout.

如果我們告訴您有些鳥會聽到草原犬鼠的叫聲，您可能會認為它們應該把喙伸出來。

But, whatifwetoldyouthattheyaredoingittostaysafe?

但是，如果我們告訴您他們這樣做是為了確保安全呢？

Prairiedogs, whicharerodentsandarecloselyrelatedtosquirrels, barktoleteachotherknowiftherearepredatorsnearby.

草原犬鼠是一種囓齒動物，與松鼠關係密切，它們會透過吠叫來告知彼此附近是否有捕食者。

Researchershavefoundthatthesecallsarebeingpickedupandusedbylong-billedcurlewstoo.

研究人員發現，長嘴杓鷸也能聽到並使用這些叫聲。

Prairiedogsarehuntedbyalonglistofpredatorsfrombirdsofpreytofoxesandevenlargesnakes.

草原犬鼠會遭到多種掠食者的捕獵，從猛禽到狐狸，甚至還有大蛇。

Long-billedcurlewsarevulnerabletosomeofthesepredatorstoo.

長嘴杓鷸也容易受到其中一些捕食者的攻擊。

Research, whichwaspublishedinthejournalAnimalBehaviour, foundthebirdslistentothesoundsoftherodentstofindoutifpredatorsareontheway.

發表在《動物行為》雜誌上的研究發現，鳥類會聆聽囓齒動物的聲音，以了解掠食者是否正在途中。

Itgivesthemmoretimetoreacttothenearbydanger.

這給了他們更多的時間來應對附近的危險。

Long-billedcurlewsnesttheireggsinshortgrassontheground, andwhentheyheartheprairiedogcall, theygetaslowaspossibleandtrytocamouflagethemselves.

長嘴杓鷸將卵築在地面的短草叢中，當它們聽到草原犬鼠的叫聲時，它們會盡可能地降低高度並試圖偽裝自己。

Aspartoftheresearch, ateammadeafakepredator, intheformofastuffedbadgeronaremotecontrolledcar.

作為研究的一部分，一個團隊製作了一個假的掠食者，即一輛遙控汽車上的一隻獾標本。

ThiswasthendriventowardsnestsinMontanaintheUS, sometimeswhileplayingthecallsofprairiedogs, sometimesinsilence.

然後，它們被驅趕到美國蒙大拿州的巢穴，有時播放草原犬鼠的叫聲，有時則保持沉默。

Whenthebirdscouldhearthefakebarksfromtheremote-controlledbadger, theyduckeddownintothegrasstohidewhenitwasmorethanthreetimesthedistanceaway, comparedtowhennobarkswereplayed.

當鳥兒們聽到遙控獾發出的假吠叫聲時，它們會躲進草叢中，此時距離是沒有吠叫時的三倍多。

If we told you that some birds listen in on the calls of prairie dogs, you might think they should keep their beaks out.

But, what if we told you that they are doing it to stay safe?

Prairie dogs, which are rodents and are closely related to squirrels, bark to let each other know if there are predators nearby.

Researchers have found that these calls are being picked up and used by long-billed curlews too.

Prairie dogs are hunted by a long list of predators from birds of prey to foxes and even large snakes.

Long-billed curlews are vulnerable to some of these predators too.

Research, which was published in the journal Animal Behaviour, found the birds listen to the sounds of the rodents to find out if predators are on the way.

It gives them more time to react to the nearby danger.

Long-billed curlews nest their eggs in short grass on the ground, and when they hear the prairie dog call, they get as low as possible and try to camouflage themselves.

As part of the research, a team made a fake predator, in the form of a stuffed badger on a remote controlled car.

This was then driven towards nests in Montana in the US, sometimes while playing the calls of prairie dogs, sometimes in silence.

When the birds could hear the fake barks from the remote-controlled badger, theyducked down into the grass to hide when it was more than three times the distance away, compared to when no barks were played.