Risk in mobbing for solitary and colonial swallows |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Dept. of Fisheries Management and Marine Research, Echebastar Fleet SLU, Muelle Erroxape s/n (Box 39), 48370 Bermeo, Spain;3. UMR CNRS 5805 EPOC, University of Bordeaux, 33615, Pessac, France;4. Otago Museum, 419 Great King Street, PO Box 6202, Dunedin 9059, New Zealand;5. IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation of Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain;6. DigitalGlobe, Inc., 2325 Dulles Corner Blvd, Suite 1000, Herndon, VA, 20171, USA;7. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus Universitario de Tafira, Edificio de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, sn. 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain;1. Wildlife Ecology Group, Massey University, PB 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand;2. Science Support Service, 87 Ikitara Rd., Whanganui 4500, New Zealand;1. Université de Tours, LIFAT EA6300, 64 avenue Jean Portalis, Tours 37200, France;2. Université de Tours, LIFAT EA6300, ROOT ERL CNRS 7002, 64 avenue Jean Portalis, Tours 37200, France |
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| Abstract: | Barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) often nest solitarily and are ecologically similar to colonially nesting cliff swallows (H. pyrrhonota). Northern rough-winged swallows (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) also nest solitarily and are ecologically similar to colonially nesting bank swallows (Riparia riparia). We investigated risk-taking in the mobbing of predators for these four species of North American swallows. We presented model owl and weasel predators and examined tendencies of individuals to dive at these predators during mobbing. Individuals of the two solitary species were significantly more likely to dive at predators than were individuals of the two colonial species. Since diving may be risky, we suggest that solitary species take greater per capita risks in mobbing than do colonial species. The reduced risk of falling victim during mobbing may be a benefit of group living that is perhaps independent of the effectiveness of mobbing. |
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