Yellow warblers remember warning calls 1 day later, suggesting long-term memory
Females spend more time at the nest after hearing cowbird alarm
15 OCT 2021 5:00 PM
BY RACHEL FRITTS
Across North America, hundreds of bird species waste time and energy raising chicks that arent their own. Theyre the victims of a brood parasite called the cowbird, which adds its own egg to their clutch, tricking another species into raising its offspring. One target, the yellow warbler, has a special call to warn egg-warming females when cowbirds are casing the area. Now, researchers have found the females act on that warning 1 day latersuggesting their long-term memories might be much better than thought.
Its a very sophisticated and subtle behavioral response, says Erick Greene, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Montana, Missoula, who was not involved in the study. Am I surprised? I guess Im more in awe. Its pretty dang cool.
Birds have been dazzling scientists with their intellects for decades. Western scrub jays, for instance, can remember where theyve stored food for the winterand can even keep track of when it will spoil. Theres evidence that other birds might have a similarly impressive ability to remember certain meaningful calls.
Animals are smart in the context in which they need to be smart, says Mark Hauber, an animal behavior researcher at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and the Institute of Advanced Studies in Berlin, who co-authored the new study. He wanted to see whether yellow warblers had the capacity to remember their own important warning call known as a seet.
More:
https://www.science.org/content/article/yellow-warblers-remember-warning-calls-1-day-later-suggesting-long-term-memory