Cache protection strategies of a non-social food-caching corvid, Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 735-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawson Clary ◽  
Debbie M. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Nucifraga Columbiana ◽  
Food Caching ◽  
Clark's Nutcracker ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Cache Protection

scholarly journals Difficulties when using video playback to investigate social cognition in California scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica)

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina F. Brecht ◽  
Ljerka Ostojić ◽  
Edward W. Legg ◽  
Nicola S. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Video Playback ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Aphelocoma Californica ◽  
Social Agents ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Cache Protection

Previous research has suggested that videos can be used to experimentally manipulate social stimuli. In the present study, we used the California scrub-jays’ cache protection strategies to assess whether video playback can be used to simulate conspecifics in a social context. In both the lab and the field, scrub-jays are known to exhibit a range of behaviours to protect their caches from potential pilferage by a conspecific, for example by hiding food in locations out of the observer’s view or by re-caching previously made caches once the observer has left. Here, we presented scrub-jays with videos of a conspecific observer as well as two non-social conditions during a caching period and assessed whether they would cache out of the observer’s “view” (Experiment 1) or would re-cache their caches once the observer was no longer present (Experiment 2). In contrast to previous studies using live observers, the scrub-jays’ caching and re-caching behaviour was not influenced by whether the observer was present or absent. These findings suggest that there might be limitations in using video playback of social agents to mimic real-life situations when investigating corvid decision making.

scholarly journals Problems faced by food-caching corvids and the evolution of cognitive solutions

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1542) ◽  
pp. 977-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Grodzinski ◽  
Nicola S. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Future Planning ◽  
Scatter Hoarding ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Food Caching ◽  
Informed Decisions ◽  
Cache Protection

The scatter hoarding of food, or caching, is a widespread and well-studied behaviour. Recent experiments with caching corvids have provided evidence for episodic-like memory, future planning and possibly mental attribution, all cognitive abilities that were thought to be unique to humans. In addition to the complexity of making flexible, informed decisions about caching and recovering, this behaviour is underpinned by a motivationally controlled compulsion to cache. In this review, we shall first discuss the compulsive side of caching both during ontogeny and in the caching behaviour of adult corvids. We then consider some of the problems that these birds face and review the evidence for the cognitive abilities they use to solve them. Thus, the emergence of episodic-like memory is viewed as a solution for coping with food perishability, while the various cache-protection and pilfering strategies may be sophisticated tools to deprive competitors of information, either by reducing the quality of information they can gather, or invalidating the information they already have. Finally, we shall examine whether such future-oriented behaviour involves future planning and ask why this and other cognitive abilities might have evolved in corvids.

Cache protection strategies of a scatter-hoarding rodent: do tree squirrels engage in behavioural deception?

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 705-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Steele ◽  
Sylvia L. Halkin ◽  
Peter D. Smallwood ◽  
Thomas J. McKenna ◽  
Katerina Mitsopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scatter Hoarding ◽  
Tree Squirrels ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Cache Protection

scholarly journals Little evidence that Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) protect their caches by responding to cues about a conspecific's desire and visual perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Amodio ◽  
Benjamin G Farrar ◽  
Christopher Krupenye ◽  
Ljerka Ostojic ◽  
Nicola S Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Cognition ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Visual Perspective ◽  
Multiple Cues ◽  
Visual Access ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Cache Protection

Corvids appear to be capable of adjusting their behaviour according to another's perspective, knowledge and desire. For example, Eurasian jays have been found to employ a variety of cache protection strategies to minimise cache loss by responding to cues about the visual perspective or current desire of an observing conspecific. However, it is not known whether these jays (or any other corvid) can integrate multiple cues about different mental states and perform the optimal response accordingly. Across five experiments, we found little evidence that our Eurasian jays responded to either the visual perspective or current desire of another agent. In Experiments 1 and 2 we investigated whether Eurasian jays can limit the risk of cache loss by responding simultaneously to cues about the desire and perspective of a potential conspecific pilferer. Building on established paradigms, we used opaque and clear barriers to manipulate the observer's visual access to cache locations, and specific satiety to manipulate the observer's desire towards different types of food. Across both experiments the jays' caching pattern provided no evidence that they could integrate information about the observer's desire and perspective. Moreover, the results were also inconsistent with the previously reported effects that jays protect their caches by responding to either the visual access or specific satiety of the observer independently. To gain further insight into these unexpected results, we conducted three more experiments. In Experiments 3 and 4, we attempted to replicate the previous finding that Eurasian jays prefer to cache behind an opaque barrier over a clear barrier when observed by a conspecific than when caching in private. In Experiment 5, we further investigated the previous finding that jays preferentially cache a type of food that had been eaten to satiety by a conspecific over a food that had not been eaten by the conspecific. Experiments 3, 4 and 5 found no significant effects in the direction of the previously reported effects, questioning their robustness. We conclude by discussing the implications of our study for the field of corvid cognition and highlight several key issues that affect the reliability of comparative cognition research.

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