Fear responses in Emberiza spp.

In Buntings, fear responses express five main tendencies: to flee, to hide, to watch the feared object, and to give certain calls.

Alarm, mobbing, freezing and hiding are discussed. Fear responses to predators near the nest, and distraction displays are described.

Resting attitudes occur irrelevantly during fear in the Buntings. They have a submissive function, but are not always caused by fear of another bird. The crest feathers (and more rarely those of the back) are sometimes raised in fear. Possible causes of these types of behaviour are considered.