The short presentation will be by COG member Alistair Drake entitled “A trip through the Great Victoria Desert”.
Alistair will show bird photos from a recent trip to Central Australia, Including Alice Springs, the Great Victoria Desert, Eyre Bird Observatory, Coober Pedy, and Bon Bon Station.
The main presentation will be by Rob Magrath of the ANU Research School of Biology on “Alarm calls and eavesdropping in wild birds”.
Most birds are vulnerable to predators, and in response many species have alarm calls that warn others of danger. Furthermore, many species convey detailed information about the type of threat, not merely that there is danger nearby, and individuals often eavesdrop on the alarm calls of other species, rather than just listening to their own species. Rob will consider the meaning of alarm calls and what information their own species and other species gather from these calls. He’ll also consider the puzzle of how birds are able to recognise the alarm calls of other species, and their findings that birds are quick to learn ‘foreign languages’.