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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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Abstract

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.

E. Natasha Vanderhoff and Perri K. Eason "American Robin Seet Calls: Aerial Alarm or a Contact Call?," The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 121(2), 406-411, (1 June 2009). https://doi.org/10.1676/08-091.1
Received: 14 July 2008; Accepted: 1 December 2008; Published: 1 June 2009
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