Meeting Abstract
The Loggerhead Shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus ) is a medium sized predatory, insectivorous and carnivorous songbird. When hunting, Loggerhead Shrikes have been observed to perform wing-flashing movements prior to attacking their prey. Several hypotheses have been proposed for this behavior in shrikes and other species. Our research focuses on the effect wing-flashing movements have on prey capture performance. We approached this by analyzing videos of captive San Clemente Loggerhead Shrikes during feeding. We found that males tended to perform wing flashing more than females, and juveniles tended to perform wing-flashing more often than adults. All of the individuals filmed performed wing-flashing when attacking lizards, whereas relatively fewer performed the behavior when attacking crickets and mice. The rate of wing movements varied among prey types, with crickets eliciting higher rates than lizards and mice. In general, shrikes captured their prey in fewer attempts after performing wing-flashing, suggesting that these wing movements increase prey-capture efficiency. A larger proportion of prey reacted to the onset of attack, and relatively fewer seemed to react to the wing-flashing behavior itself. However, prey capture success was greater when prey seemed to react to wing-flashing, suggesting a potential role for these wing movements in making prey more accessible. Our results point toward yet another innovative tool deployed by shrikes for accessing their diverse arthropod and vertebrate prey.
