Alarm calls as costly signals of antipredator vigilance: the watchful babbler game
TL;DR
Alarm calls can say 'I see you' to predators, not just 'run!' to groupmates. The Watchful Babbler game shows how signaling awareness deters attack.
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Game-theoretic model explaining how alarm calls can function as honest signals to predators rather than just warnings to groupmates—deterring attack by communicating that the prey has detected the threat.
Key Findings from Bergstrom & Lachmann (2001)
- Alarm calls can be signals TO predators, not just warnings to groupmates
- Honest signaling is stable when vigilant prey have better escape chances
- Prey signal more when predators are common (higher benefit)
- Cheaper signals are sufficient when predator pursuit costs are high
- The signal's honesty is maintained because faking vigilance is costly