Scientists have found for the first time that females of a songbird species, known as the blue tit, sing in the presence of predators.
Until now, the singing behaviour of songbirds had been mainly associated with competitive behaviour and the search for a partner. Moreover, males had long been considered to be the more active singer. Females were compared to the behaviour of the males and were seen as relatively “lazy” with regard to singing. These assumptions had also been applied to the blue tit.
Female blue tits, like males, also display a variety of vocal patterns. This suggests that vocalisation is not limited exclusively to courtship or competition. Herbert Hoi and Katharina Mahr of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna have demonstrated for the first time that female blue tits sing in the presence of a predator.