Data from: The risk perception and response of Azure-winged magpies: On the aspect of feeding behaviour and alarm calls

Prey are expected to effectively perceive predation cues, recognise
predators, and adopt appropriate anti-predator strategies to enhance their
chances of survival. Species with high cognitive abilities tend to be
better at these processes, while empirical research is still lacking. The
role of cognition in avoiding predation requires further investigation,
especially in species with complex social structures and communication
systems. Azure-winged magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) have demonstrated great
talents in cognitive tasks. We conducted model presentation and playback
experiments to test their predator detection and information transmission
in the wild. We found that magpies exhibited distinct responses according
to the model type (pigeon, falco,n, and cat) and eye condition of the
models (covered or uncovered). Individuals postponed the visit to the
feeder and took less food in response to predator and eye-uncovered
models. The cat model was perceived as a higher risk, and magpies would
emit alarm calls with a wider bandwidth, a higher frequency of 5%, and a
higher frequency of 95%. We also found that the playback of alarm calls
could induce different anti-predator behaviours from conspecifics. Our
study examined how Azure-winged magpies perceive information and make
decisions to avoid predators. It indicates that the alarm calls of
Azure-winged magpies function in encoding and sharing information,
providing an in-depth understanding of complex vocal communication and
risk cognition in birds.

猎物需有效感知捕食线索、识别捕食者，并采取恰当的反捕食策略以提升生存概率。认知能力较高的物种在上述过程中往往表现更优异，但相关实证研究仍较为匮乏。认知在反捕食行为中的作用仍需进一步探究，尤其是针对那些具备复杂社会结构与通讯系统的物种。灰喜鹊（Azure-winged magpie, *Cyanopica cyanus*）已在多项认知任务中展现出卓越能力。本研究团队开展了模型展示与回放实验，以在野外环境中测试其捕食者识别与信息传递能力。研究发现，灰喜鹊会根据模型类型（鸽子、猎隼、猫）以及模型眼部状态（遮盖或暴露）呈现出差异化反应。当面对捕食者模型与眼部暴露的模型时，个体到访喂食器的时间会延后，取食量也随之减少。猫模型被感知为风险更高的威胁，灰喜鹊会发出带宽更广、5%百分位频率更高以及95%百分位频率更高的告警叫声。此外，本研究还发现告警叫声的回放可引发同类个体产生不同的反捕食行为。本研究探究了灰喜鹊如何感知信息并做出反捕食决策，结果表明灰喜鹊的告警叫声具备信息编码与共享功能，为深入理解鸟类复杂的声学通讯与风险认知提供了重要视角。