African penguins are also called jackass penguins because they emit loud donkey-like brays, yells, and haws to communicate.
African penguins are also called jackass penguins because they emit a loud, braying, donkey-like call to communicate. There are three types of calls used: bray, yell, and haw.
The yell, or contact call, is used to defend a territory from another colony member. The bray, or display call, is used to attract mates and is used between partners in a colony. Penguins also perform displays that are used to establish nesting areas, help with partner/hatchling recognition and defense against intruders. The haw is used by partners when one is on land and the other is in the water.
• Image | © Y Nakanishi, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
• Sources | (Cunningham, Strauss, & Ryan, 2008; Frost, Siegfried, & Burger, 1976; Pearce, 2011; Thumser & Ficken, 1998)
