Final answer:
Birds use various aural and visual signals to communicate the presence of predators like hawks, affecting their survival and influencing natural selection. Deceptive signals may also be used to manipulate other birds for competitive advantages. Such behaviors exemplify the intricate relationship between communication and evolutionary fitness in avian species.
Step-by-step explanation:
The relationship between making noise and the likelihood that a creature is a potential threat to the hawk can be inferred from avian behavior and communication tactics. Birds utilize various aural signals such as mobbing calls, scolding calls, and warning calls to communicate the presence of predators to others of the same species.
These vocalizations can affect the natural selection of small bird species by influencing their behavior and survival strategies. For instance, a warning call can alert other birds of an approaching hawk, leading them to take cover or flee. Some species may also use deceptive calls to create false alarms, thereby gaining better access to food resources at the expense of others.
In the case of the killdeer, a mother bird faking a broken wing to distract predators from her chicks is an example of a visual signal that can increase her fitness by ensuring the survival of her offspring. This distraction technique sacrifices the mother's immediate safety for the long-term benefit of her genes' propagation through her chicks' survival.
Understanding these communication strategies reveals a complex web of interactions between predator and prey, demonstrating how behavior and communication are integral to the evolutionary process.