WIKIMEDIA, MDF
Scientists understand the signs that predict aggressive behavior in songbirds fairly well, but sometimes signals fall short—a bird might behave in a way that suggests aggression is on its way, but never act. Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle have now shown that individual song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) are consistent in how honest their signals are over time and that personality seems to influence whether signals actually forecast aggression. The work was published this month (December 4) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The team recorded songs from 69 wild male song sparrows in Seattle, and then played the songs back to the birds in a move aimed to generate aggression. The researchers assigned each bird scores for aggressive signaling and behavior ...
