Date: 06/23/2005

Number: 1

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 17 minutes ago




WASHINGTON - The chirp of the chickadee is charming to humans. To other chickadees, it can convey a lot of vital information. When the little black-capped songbird whistles "chick-a-dee-dee" it can warn flock mates to watch out: A predator is near.

Christopher N. Templeton and colleagues recorded the chickadee songs, analyzed them by situation, studied the calls on acoustic instruments, and watched the birds react when the songs were played back.

The researchers' findings are reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

"These birds are passing on way more information than anyone ever dreamed possible, and only by carefully looking at these calls can we really appreciate how sophisticated these animals are," Templeton said in a telephone interview.

"They change a bunch of different features about the call, subtle acoustic features, the spacing between the notes, things we can't hear,"

Damariscotta, ME

Latitude: 44 Longitude: -69.5

Observed by: S
Contact Observer

The observer's e-mail address will not be disclosed.
Contact will be made through a web-based form.