Abstract
Eavesdropping on the vocalizations of other species can be beneficial for wildlife to avoid predator encounters, including encounters with humans. Wild-caught large-billed crows in Tokyo responded more to playback of a foreign language than to Japanese without any training or rewards provided in the experiment, suggesting habituation to the local language. Here I tested the response of wild carrion crows in the UK to playback of a foreign language (Vietnamese), the local language (English), and non-speech control vocalizations (pigeon and parakeet vocalizations) to examine whether wild crows eavesdrop on speech. Playback experiments were conducted in two cities that differ in their population size and linguistic diversity (London and Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire), to understand the role of exposure frequency to humans and to different languages in their response to speech. The crows autonomously responded with increased flight behaviors to human speech compared to non-speech control vocalizations. However, unlike previously shown for large-billed crows, the carrion crows did not respond differently to the two languages. It remains to be understood whether eavesdropping on speech provides any benefit to the animals, particularly urban individuals with frequent exposure to humans.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.