Mobbing behaviour in non-breeding flocks of a passerine bird in northern Patagonia

Abstract

Animal cooperation occurs in both genetically related and unrelated groups of individuals, involving costs and benefits that have not been fully elucidated. For example, risky behaviour such as mobbing a predator would be selected if participants are genetic relatives because they share a fraction of their gene pool (i.e., kin selection or indirect benefits). However, in the absence of genetic relatedness, benefits can be achieved by direct benefits such as reciprocity or mutualism, among others. In this study we analyzed the cooperative mobbing behaviour in winter flocks of an endemic passerine of the austral temperate forests, the Thorn-tailed rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda). We first tested whether the probability of and the latency to mobbing response differed depending on the acoustic stimulus perceived by the flock (i.e., conspecific mobbing calls vs. predator calls), and whether the intensity of the mobbing was related to the number of individuals and species participating. We found that flocks were more likely to approach the predator when the acoustic signal was a conspecific mobbing call than when it was the predator's call, and that the intensity of mobbing increased with the number of participants. Secondly, we explored if the level of kinship within the group potentially played a role in the development of the mobbing behaviour. The proportion of close-relatives found in these flocks was low, and the within- and among-flock degree of kinship did not differ. This suggests that kin selection might not be related with the expression of mobbing behaviour in winter flocks.