Female blue tits sing in the face of danger

VIENNA, June 24 (UPI) -- New research shows birdsong is employed for more than just courtship and sexual competition. Scientists at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna found female blue tits sing in the face of danger.

Males follow along in song during the same stressful situations, but the evidence suggests the singing doesn't serve as an alarm. Until now, females have been mostly dismissed as quiet, sheepish singers. But the new research shows females vocalize with the same volume and emphasis as males when predators are nearby.

"We presented the nest of blue tits either with a stuffed sparrow hawk, a bird of prey, or an Aesculapian snake and analyzed the reactions mainly of female blue tits," researcher Herbert Hoi explained in a news release.

Both male and female birds reacted with song only when faced with the threat of a bird of prey. The presence of the snake failed to inspire birdsong.

"The animals may be indicating a heightened ability to escape," Hoi said. "They show the predator that they have seen it and can flee at any time."

Researchers suggest it's also possible the singing is an endocrinological response, a way of dealing with or distraction from stress -- what scientists call a "displacement activity."

The scientists published their findings in the Journal of Ornithology.