Alarm Calls

Synonyms

Alerting calls

Definition

Communication is ubiquitous in animals and involves one individual influencing the behavior of another individual through the use of signals or cues (see the “Communication, Cues, and Signal” entry for more information). Animals often communicate when they detect a potential predator by producing alarm signals. Although such signals can be produced via different modalities, many species rely on vocal signals – alarm calls (Bradbury and Vehrencamp 2011). Alarm calls function to alert others of the potential danger related to a perceived predator. In order for such communication to be adaptive, the benefits associated with alarm calling in the presence of a predator must be greater than the costs.

Introduction

Both the physical structures of alarm calls and the motivations behind their production are important to understanding signal function (Bradbury and Vehrencamp 2011). In birds and mammals, and possibly other groups, vocal signals that are...