scholarly journals Self-care tooling innovation in a disabled kea (Nestor notabilis)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amalia P. M. Bastos ◽  
Kata Horváth ◽  
Jonathan L. Webb ◽  
Patrick M. Wood ◽  
Alex H. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Specific Behaviour ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

AbstractTooling is associated with complex cognitive abilities, occurring most regularly in large-brained mammals and birds. Among birds, self-care tooling is seemingly rare in the wild, despite several anecdotal reports of this behaviour in captive parrots. Here, we show that Bruce, a disabled parrot lacking his top mandible, deliberately uses pebbles to preen himself. Evidence for this behaviour comes from five lines of evidence: (i) in over 90% of instances where Bruce picked up a pebble, he then used it to preen; (ii) in 95% of instances where Bruce dropped a pebble, he retrieved this pebble, or replaced it, in order to resume preening; (iii) Bruce selected pebbles of a specific size for preening rather than randomly sampling available pebbles in his environment; (iv) no other kea in his environment used pebbles for preening; and (v) when other individuals did interact with stones, they used stones of different sizes to those Bruce preened with. Our study provides novel and empirical evidence for deliberate self-care tooling in a bird species where tooling is not a species-specific behaviour. It also supports claims that tooling can be innovated based on ecological necessity by species with sufficiently domain-general cognition.

Bonobos, chimpanzees and tools: Integrating species-specific psychological biases and socio-ecology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep Call
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Striking Difference ◽  
Personality Profiles ◽  
Il Y A ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Species Specific

Over the years there has been some controversy regarding the comparison between chimpanzees and bonobos. Whereas some authors have stressed their differences, others have stressed their similarities. One striking difference between wild chimpanzees and bonobos is tool use, especially in foraging contexts. While several chimpanzee populations possess tool kits formed by multiple tools (and their associated techniques) to exploit embedded resources, bonobos display no such tool specialization. However, studies in the laboratory have shown that bonobos are perfectly capable of using tools. In fact, several studies devoted to investigate the cognitive abilities underlying tool use have failed to detect any substantial differences between the two species. This chapter explores three aspects that could explain the difference between chimpanzees and bonobos in their propensity to use tools in the wild: socio-ecological factors, social versus technical cognition, and personality profiles. Au cours du temps, il y a eu beaucoup de controverse en relation aux comparaisons entres les chimpanzés et les bonobos. Alors que certains auteurs ont stressé les différences entre eux, d’autres ont stressé les similarités. Une grande différence entre les chipmanzés et les bonobos sauvages est l’utilisation des outils, spécialement en butinage. Tandis que plusieurs populations de chimpanzés possèdent des boîtes à outils diverses (et leur techniques respectives) pour exploiter les ressources, les bonobos ne montrent pas une spécialisation pareille. Cependant, les études en laboratoir ont montré que les bonobos sont capables d’utiliser des outils. En faite, plusieurs études des facultés cognitives dans l’utilisation des outils n’ont pas pu détecter de différences substantielles entre les deux espèces. Je vais explorer trois aspects qui pourraient expliquer les différences entre les chimpanzés et les bonobos en ce qui concerne leur tendance naturelle à utiliser les outils: facteurs socio-écologiques, cognition social vs. technique, et profils de personnalité.

scholarly journals Mapping behavioural evolution onto brain evolution: the strategic roles of conserved organization in individuals and species

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1574) ◽  
pp. 2111-2123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara L. Finlay ◽  
Flora Hinz ◽  
Richard B. Darlington
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Brain Evolution ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Functional Neuroanatomy ◽  
Component Structure ◽  
Specific Behaviour ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Species Specific

The pattern of individual variation in brain component structure in pigs, minks and laboratory mice is very similar to variation across species in the same components, at a reduced scale. This conserved pattern of allometric scaling resembles robotic architectures designed to be robust to changes in computing power and task demands, and may reflect the mechanism by which both growing and evolving brains defend basic sensory, motor and homeostatic functions at multiple scales. Conserved scaling rules also have implications for species-specific sensory and social communication systems, motor competencies and cognitive abilities. The role of relative changes in neuron number in the central nervous system in producing species-specific behaviour is thus highly constrained, while changes in the sensory and motor periphery, and in motivational and attentional systems increase in probability as the principal loci producing important changes in functional neuroanatomy between species. By their nature, these loci require renewed attention to development and life history in the initial organization and production of species-specific behavioural abilities.

scholarly journals Monitoring Behaviour in African Elephants during Introduction into a New Group: Differences between Related and Unrelated Animals

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2990
Author(s):  
Franziska Hörner ◽  
Ann-Kathrin Oerke ◽  
Dennis W. H. Müller ◽  
Uta Westerhüs ◽  
Idu Azogu-Sepe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Agonistic Behaviour ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
A Minor ◽  
First Contact ◽  
First Time

The introduction of elephants into new groups is necessary for breeding programmes. However, behavioural studies on the reactions of these animals at first encounters are missing. In the present study, female African elephants (Loxodonta africana) living in zoos were observed during unifications with unfamiliar elephants (introduction of two to one females and one to two females; n = 6) and reunifications with related elephants (two mother–daughter-pairs; n = 4) that were separated for 2 and 12 years, respectively. First encounters of the elephants were observed and recorded by scan sampling. The parameters measured were (a) signs of the characteristic Greeting Ceremony, (b) distance to the fence separating the elephants during first contact, and (c) time until trunks touched for the first time. The data were statistically analysed with SPSS. The results showed that related elephants performed a full Greeting Ceremony on reunifications. Unrelated elephants only expressed a minor greeting. During first encounters, related elephants predominantly showed affiliative behaviour (p = 0.001), whilst unrelated elephants expressed more agonistic behaviour (p = 0.001). The distance to the fence was significantly smaller for related elephants than for unrelated elephants (p = 0.038). first contact of trunks occurred on average after 3.00 s. in related elephants and 1026.25 s. in unrelated elephants. These findings indicate that related elephants recognise their kin after up to 12 years of separation, meet them with a full Greeting Ceremony during reunification, and seek contact to the related elephant, while unrelated elephants are hesitant during unifications with unfamiliar elephants and express more agonistic behaviour. The results testify that zoo elephants show the same species-specific social behaviour as their conspecifics in the wild. It also confirms the cognitive abilities of elephants and the significance of matrilines for breeding programmes.

scholarly journals How to be a great dad: Parental care in a flock of greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camillo Sandri ◽  
Vittoria Vallarin ◽  
Carolina Sammarini ◽  
Barbara Regaiolli ◽  
Alessandra Piccirillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Nest Protection ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Greater Flamingos

The zoo-science literature on flamingos, and avian species in general, is lacking. However, this kind of research is important to improve the knowledge on these species and to improve their ex-situ and in-situ conservation. The aims of the present study were to assess the welfare of a captive colony of greater flamingo hosted at Parco Natura Viva, an Italian zoological garden, through ethological parameters and to improve the knowledge on this species in zoological gardens. In particular, the present study investigated and compared the parental care of females and males in 35 breeding pairs of greater flamingos. For each pair, we collected data on the parental care behaviour of both females and males, recording their position in relation to the nest (near the nest, on the nest, away from the nest) and the behavioural category that was performed. The main results were that males spent more time than females on the nest and near it and were more aggressive toward other flamingos. Therefore, male flamingos seem to be more involved in incubation duties and nest protection than females. Greater flamingos of this study performed species-specific behaviours. Both parents were involved in parental care and displayed all the activities reported in the wild. Therefore, the study flock of greater flamingos seems to be in a good welfare. This kind of research is important not only to expand the knowledge on bird species such as flamingos, but also to improve their husbandry and breeding in controlled environment.

scholarly journals How to be a great dad: Parental care in a flock of greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camillo Sandri ◽  
Vittoria Vallarin ◽  
Carolina Sammarini ◽  
Barbara Regaiolli ◽  
Alessandra Piccirillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Nest Protection ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Greater Flamingos

The zoo-science literature on flamingos, and avian species in general, is lacking. However, this kind of research is important to improve the knowledge on these species and to improve their ex-situ and in-situ conservation. The aims of the present study were to assess the welfare of a captive colony of greater flamingo hosted at Parco Natura Viva, an Italian zoological garden, through ethological parameters and to improve the knowledge on this species in zoological gardens. In particular, the present study investigated and compared the parental care of females and males in 35 breeding pairs of greater flamingos. For each pair, we collected data on the parental care behaviour of both females and males, recording their position in relation to the nest (near the nest, on the nest, away from the nest) and the behavioural category that was performed. The main results were that males spent more time than females on the nest and near it and were more aggressive toward other flamingos. Therefore, male flamingos seem to be more involved in incubation duties and nest protection than females. Greater flamingos of this study performed species-specific behaviours. Both parents were involved in parental care and displayed all the activities reported in the wild. Therefore, the study flock of greater flamingos seems to be in a good welfare. This kind of research is important not only to expand the knowledge on bird species such as flamingos, but also to improve their husbandry and breeding in controlled environment.

scholarly journals When the sun never sets: diverse activity rhythms under continuous daylight in free-living arctic-breeding birds

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1764) ◽  
pp. 20131016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke S. Steiger ◽  
Mihai Valcu ◽  
Kamiel Spoelstra ◽  
Barbara Helm ◽  
Martin Wikelski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Daily Activity ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Continuous Darkness ◽  
Activity Rhythms ◽  
Running Activity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Activity Cycles ◽  
Species Specific

Circadian clocks are centrally involved in the regulation of daily behavioural and physiological processes. These clocks are synchronized to the 24 h day by external cues ( Zeitgeber ), the most important of which is the light–dark cycle. In polar environments, however, the strength of the Zeitgeber is greatly reduced around the summer and winter solstices (continuous daylight or continuous darkness). How animals time their behaviour under such conditions has rarely been studied in the wild. Using a radio-telemetry-based system, we investigated daily activity rhythms under continuous daylight in Barrow, Alaska, throughout the breeding season in four bird species that differ in mating system and parental behaviour. We found substantial diversity in daily activity rhythms depending on species, sex and breeding stage. Individuals exhibited either robust, entrained 24 h activity cycles, were continuously active (arrhythmic) or showed ‘free-running’ activity cycles. In semipalmated sandpipers, a shorebird with biparental incubation, we show that the free-running rhythm is synchronized between pair mates. The diversity of diel time-keeping under continuous daylight emphasizes the plasticity of the circadian system, and the importance of the social and life-history context. Our results support the idea that circadian behaviour can be adaptively modified to enable species-specific time-keeping under polar conditions.

scholarly journals How to be a great dad: parental care in a flock of greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camillo Sandri ◽  
Vittoria Vallarin ◽  
Carolina Sammarini ◽  
Barbara Regaiolli ◽  
Alessandra Piccirillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Nest Protection ◽  
Zoo Animals ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Greater Flamingos

In the last years, studies on captive greater flamingos have increased. Research on zoo animals is important to improve the knowledge on these species and to improve their ex-situ and in-situ conservation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the parental behaviour of a captive colony of greater flamingo hosted at Parco Natura Viva, an Italian zoological garden, to improve the knowledge on this species in zoos. In particular, the present study investigated and compared the parental care of females and males in 35 breeding pairs of greater flamingos. For each pair, we collected durations of parental care behaviour of both females and males, recording their position in relation to the nest (near the nest, on the nest, away from the nest) and individual and social behaviours performed. First, both partners were involved in parental care and displayed species-specific behaviours reported in the wild. The main results were that males spent more time than females on the nest (P = 0.010) and near it (P = 0.0001) and were more aggressive toward other flamingos than females, both when sitting on the nest (P = 0.003) and when near the nest (P = 0.0003). Therefore, male flamingos seem to be more involved in incubation duties and nest protection than females. This kind of research is important not only to expand the knowledge on bird species such as flamingos, but also to improve their husbandry and breeding in controlled environment. Indeed, understanding animal behaviour allows us to gain insights into their individual and social needs, addressing potential animal welfare issues.

Song repertoires of Harris' sparrows (Zonotrichia querula)

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1867-1874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Shackleton ◽  
Laurene Ratcliffe ◽  
Andrew G. Horn ◽  
Christopher T. Naugler
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Ratio ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Song Type ◽  
Absolute Frequency ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Song Types ◽  
Song Repertoires

The songs of 34 male Harris' sparrows were recorded at Churchill, Manitoba. The songs are composed of one to three whistled notes, all at the same frequency. Individuals sing from one to three song types, each at a discrete frequency. Males are very accurate at returning to the same frequency, both within a bout and between days. Individuals seem to structure their repertoire on the basis of the frequency ratio between types, rather than on the absolute frequency of each type. Males responded to playback of a 3-kHz song with the song in their repertoire that was closest to it in frequency. We suggest that the frequency ratio between song types may be species specific, whereas the absolute frequency of song types may facilitate individual recognition. This species has been previously described as having only a single song type. Our study and other recent work suggest that there is no sharp distinction in the wild between bird species with single and multisong repertoires.

scholarly journals Numerical assessment in the wild: insights from social carnivores

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1740) ◽  
pp. 20160508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Benson-Amram ◽  
Geoff Gilfillan ◽  
Karen McComb
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Numerical Assessment ◽  
Individual Discrimination ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Assessment Skills ◽  
In The Wild

Playback experiments have proved to be a useful tool to investigate the extent to which wild animals understand numerical concepts and the factors that play into their decisions to respond to different numbers of vocalizing conspecifics. In particular, playback experiments have broadened our understanding of the cognitive abilities of historically understudied species that are challenging to test in the traditional laboratory, such as members of the Order Carnivora. Additionally, playback experiments allow us to assess the importance of numerical information versus other ecologically important variables when animals are making adaptive decisions in their natural habitats. Here, we begin by reviewing what we know about quantity discrimination in carnivores from studies conducted in captivity. We then review a series of playback experiments conducted with wild social carnivores, including African lions, spotted hyenas and wolves, which demonstrate that these animals can assess the number of conspecifics calling and respond based on numerical advantage. We discuss how the wild studies complement those conducted in captivity and allow us to gain insights into why wild animals may not always respond based solely on differences in quantity. We then consider the key roles that individual discrimination and cross-modal recognition play in the ability of animals to assess the number of conspecifics vocalizing nearby. Finally, we explore new directions for future research in this area, highlighting in particular the need for further work on the cognitive basis of numerical assessment skills and experimental paradigms that can be effective in both captive and wild settings. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The origins of numerical abilities’.

Species specific behaviour and catchability of gadoid fish to floated and bottom set pots

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 769-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Anders ◽  
Anders Fernö ◽  
Odd-Børre Humborstad ◽  
Svein Løkkeborg ◽  
Anne Christine Utne-Palm
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Capture Efficiency ◽  
Escape Rate ◽  
Melanogrammus Aeglefinus ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Specific Behaviour ◽  
Upstream Direction ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Specific Food

To increase our understanding of the interaction between fish and baited fishing gear we quantitatively described the behaviour of cod (Gadus morhua), saithe (Pollachius virens), and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) to baited pots in a fjord in northern Norway. Detailed video analyses were made to describe species specific responses and examine the effect of lifting the pot off the bottom. The majority of both cod and saithe approached the pots in an upstream direction, and fish approached floated pots higher in the water column than bottom set pots. Cod tended to approach a pot along the seabed and were more likely to encounter the bottom set pot than the floated pot, whereas saithe more often approached in the water column. The capture efficiency was low for all species, but cod were more likely to be caught than saithe and haddock. Cod showed a high encounter rate, low entrance rate and high escape rate. For saithe, a low encounter rate was the chief factor limiting capture efficiency. The observed differences between cod and saithe were explained by species-specific food-search strategies. No difference in entrance rate, escape rate or catch efficiency between the two pot types were found.

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