The Kalahari Desert, located in South Africa, is one of the most challenging places to survive on the planet. Every animal and plant species present in this hellish region has its own survival strategy. One of the most intriguing examples of this adaptation is demonstrated by a small bird that relies not on strength or agility, but on cunning.
As American evolutionary biologist Scott Travers writes in Forbes, scientists have long believed that the ability to lie is a unique trait shared only by humans and some primates. But recent research suggests that the Kalahari black drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), named for its mournful black coloring, is also capable of deliberately lying to its advantage.
Travers notes that drongos coexist with other native species, taking on the role of sentinels. When danger approaches, these birds emit loud metallic sounds that alert surrounding Kalahari animals to the presence of predators.
However, scientific research shows that drongos often abuse this trust. Researchers have recorded that the bird often sounds false alarms when it notices that meerkats or other animals nearby have found a tasty morsel of food. Hearing the drongo's cry, the animals run away, after which the cunning liar calmly flies to the discarded treats and takes them for himself.
Further research has shown that the cunning bird not only alarms in its own "language", but also successfully imitates alarm sounds in the "languages" of other bird species. The need for such "polyglotism" arose because over time, surrounding animals began to ignore the frequently repeated false alarms announced by the drongo's "language".
Scott Travers notes that drongos are not the only animals on the planet that understand the concept of lying. Primates also use deception in one form or another in social interactions, and various species of cephalopods, chameleons and geckos use camouflage to imitate predators. Drongos, however, are unique in that they deceive members of other species into eating them.
“Many animals listen to each other's distress signals to form networks of mutual protection. Drongo is the first species to demonstrate that this interspecific communication can be a double-edged sword, manipulated for personal gain,“ the author writes.