Acorn woodpeckers vocally discriminate current and former group members from non-group members

In species with long-term social relationships, the ability to recognize individuals after extended separation, and the ability to discriminate between former social affiliates that have died and those that have left the group but may return, are likely to be beneficial. Few studies, however, have investigated whether animals can make these discriminations. We presented acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), a group-living, cooperatively breeding bird, with playbacks of current group members, former group members still living nearby, former group members that had died or left the study area, and familiar non-group members. Subjects responded more quickly to the calls of non-group members than to the calls of current group members or former group members still living in the study area but did not discriminate between non-group members and former group members that had died or disappeared. This suggests that acorn woodpeckers can vocally recognize both current group members and form...