MACROGEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN ALARM CALLS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE GYMNORHINA-TIBICEN

Australian Magpies use several types of loud, long-distance calls in contexts involving potential danger. Alarm call repertoires of Australian Magpies in two separate populations, one in New Zealand and the other in Queensland, Australia, show strong geographic variation. Some call types occurred only in the New Zealand population, while other call types occurred only in the Australian population. Some of the alarm call types that occurred in both populations varied in context between the two populations. The existence of such macrogeographic variation suggests that alarm calls are probably learned in this species.