This sneaky bird might prove animals can lie.
Drongos mimic alarm calls to scare meerkats from food, using more than 50 deceptive sounds.
Key points
From Live Science’s report- Biologist James O'Hanlon surveys animal deception in his book Liars, Cheats and Copycats.
- Some animal tricks are not conscious choices but adaptations from natural selection.
- Fork-tailed drongo imitates alarm calls to scare meerkats and steal food.
- Researchers documented over fifty deceptive vocalizations in the drongo's repertoire.
- Scientists remain hesitant to conclusively prove intentional deception in animals.
Why it matters. Intent matters because many animal tricks are inherited adaptations, not conscious choices.
What to watch. Evidence that drongos deceive intentionally.
Coverage
Oldest first · UTCCoverage
Oldest first · UTCSourceLive ScienceUnited StatesLeanCenterCredibilityRatings: AllSides, MBFCRead at Live Science“Can animals lie? This sneaky bird might be proof.”
Why it’s in the Brief
Ranked 10th of 10.
- Starting score
- 5.0
- Public-interest topic
- +1.0
- Public-interest terms in the text
- +1.25
- High-reliability sources
- +0.75
- Score
- 8.0
The ranking is the same for everyone.
Perspective mix. 1 center.RatingsAllSides and Media Bias/Fact CheckLean and credibility are curated from their public ratings.Unknown outlets stay unrated, never guessed.