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Are body size and specific species colouration important cues for predator recognition by their potencial prey? Diplomová práce
Antonová, Kateřina ; Fuchs, Roman (advisor) ; Sedláček, Ondřej (referee)
I tested influence of a body size and overal colouration in feeders experiments on recognition of sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) by chosen species of passerine. Experiments were conducted in years 2015 ̶ 2018. I used a plush dummies which carried a specific featuress of raptor (hooked beak, claws) and specific features of genus Accipiter (yellow eyes, respectively yellow eyes and overal colouration). As a control, dummy of harmless pigeon was used. Smaller dummies (size of a great tit) were not recognized as a raptor regardless of colouration. Large dummies with colouration of great tit and pigeon were not recognized as a raptor as well. On a contrary, large dummy with colouration of robin was recognized as a raptor, respectively sparrowhawk. Most birds who were flying to the feeders, at first payed attention to global features (size, overal colouration). If these features belong to well-known harmless bird, then local features (particular) which characterize raptor or sparrowhawk had no effect. Birds did not pay attention to them. Therefore it depends on a context, in which potential local key features occure.
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