When an alien sings at a rival's post: a passerine excited by conspecific stimulus may show aggressive behaviour towards heterospecific individuals

Abstract

Males of meadow pipits respond differentially to simulated territorial intrusions by conspecific, related (tree pipit), and unrelated (willow warbler) individuals; heterospecific agression occurs only after previous excitation by intraspecific stimulus.

Keywords

• meadow pipit
• Anthus pratensis
• interspecific territoriality
• playback experiments
• misdirected aggressiveness
• song playback