Abstract

Recognition, happening between species, kin, neighbors, and mates, is the basis of most animal interactions such as mating, food provisioning, and territory protection. The identification accuracy of conspecifics is facilitated by some factors but impeded by others, such as the cost of acquiring and memorizing social information. Avians primarily use vocal and visual identity signals to recognize other individuals, such as the general song characteristics or spot patterns on the feathers. By analyzing the identification context, signature production, and signal perception and response, the article reviews recent works to recommend environmental conservation approaches from the perspective of bird identification. Factors including sex, behavioral context, vocalization types, distance, and cognitive cost are demonstrated in their influence on recognition, and the lack of research on visual recognition does not indicate the more adaptive and complex nature of vocal recognition. Furthermore, the review encourages reducing anthropogenic effects on noise, light, and climate; avoiding behavioral disturbance; and restoring natural habitats. The review provides insights into the current state of individual animal recognition research by organizing the main findings of recent studies.

Full Text
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