When we’re young, we’re told not to eavesdrop. However, being nosy is apparently part of a particular bird species’ survival plan.

Researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) recently studied how long-billed curlews react to black-tailed prairie dog predator calls. They often live near each other in the Great Plains, and prairie dogs can be loud neighbors, with different alarm calls based on which type of predator is headed their way – and whether it’s coming from the air or land.

Their towns tend to attract predators, too, so researchers wanted to learn more about the potential benefits to prairie dog town neighbors that outweigh this risk. According to the findings, overhearing these alarm calls may be one of them, as incubating curlew parents go on the defensive when the alarm sounds.

Andrew Dreelin, lead author and doctoral fellow with NZCBI’s Migratory Bird Center and Great Plains Science Program, says, “Lots of birds live on or around prairie dog towns even though they are magnets for predators, so we suspected birds would have ways to mitigate that risk to better enjoy the benefits. While the scientific community is aware of a variety of habitat-based advantages, such as maintaining grasslands by removing woody shrubs, with this study, we are getting to see an underappreciated behavioral benefit. This brings us one step closer to understanding the complex relationship between prairie dogs and grassland birds.”  

To conduct their study, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, Dreelin and the team used audio of prairie dog predator calls, along with a simulated predator – a taxidermy American badger riding a radio-controlled car. 

The findings showed that female curlews incubating in their nests hunkered down and flattened over their nests when calls were played, even when the stuffed badger was further away. Meanwhile, the males outside the nests did not seem to be impacted and adopted defensive positions whether or not the calls sounded. This suggests that prairie dogs are an important part of nest security and that their survival is linked with that of the curlews.

Andy Boyce, senior author and NZCBI ecologist, explains, “We know that prairie dogs are keystone species because of the way they physically alter the environment and create homes for other plants and animals. What we hadn’t realized until now is that in addition to being homebuilders, they might also be acting as home-security systems.

“As we look to protect grassland birds, like the long-billed curlew, it’s critical to understand everything that impacts their survival. This study demonstrates that prairie dogs may directly influence the reproductive success of grassland birds and should be considered important parts of any conservation plans.”

The team says more research is needed into whether eavesdropping improves survival odds and if other grassland birds do it, too.