For animals that can produce vocalizations, choosing to emit a sound involves various neural processes. For instance, it ...
Pecks after calls showed no delay at all. In other words, a vocal channel has a control layer that the beak-peck channel does not. Calling is cue-to-decision-to-action. Pecking is cue-to-action.
Crows often gather to roost, forage, or communicate.
Fork-tailed drongos in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert can produce up to 51 distinct mimicked alarm calls and deploy them selectively against whichever neighboring species holds the most food.