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Use of an honest signal by Red-footed Boobies Sula sula in response to kleptoparasitism by Great Frigatebirds Fregata minor.
Citation
Chao, L. (2025). Use of an honest signal by Red-footed Boobies Sula sula in response to kleptoparasitism by Great Frigatebirds Fregata minor.
Marine Ornithology, 53(1),
205-207.
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.53.1.1628
Received 08 October 2024, accepted 06 December 2024
Date Published: 2025/04/15
Date Online: 2025/04/02
Key words: food limitation, Galápagos, honest signals, kleptoparasitism, vocal displays
Abstract
On Genovesa Island (00.3°N, 089.9°W) in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, Great Frigatebirds Fregata minor kleptoparasitize (i.e., steal food from) Red-footed Boobies Sula sula. In five of eight cases that I observed, the frigatebirds harassed the boobies until the latter regurgitated their forage, which the frigatebirds consumed. In three cases, the booby responded with a honk-like call and the frigatebirds stopped harassing. I propose that the honk is an “honest signal” by a booby having little food to divulge. Boobies loaded with forage do not honk because the call could trigger regurgitation. Thus, frigatebirds harass with escalation only non-honking boobies. The interaction is important in what appears to be a food-limited booby population.
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