Overview

• Prairie dogs emit distinct alarm barks that differentiate between land and aerial threats.
• Long-billed curlews intercept these calls and immediately crouch low to rely on their feather camouflage against approaching danger.
• In north-central Montana, researchers used a remote-controlled taxidermied badger to show curlews hid roughly 108 feet earlier when prairie dog calls were played.
• This cross-species eavesdropping strategy significantly increases curlew survival by extending their early-warning detection zone.
• The study underscores prairie dogs’ dual role as environmental engineers that both shape habitat structure and transmit crucial risk information.