Rich pickings near large communal roosts favor 'gang' foraging by juvenile common ravens, Corvus corax.

ABSTRACT: Ravens (Corvus corax) feed primarily on rich but ephemeral carcasses of large animals, which are usually defended by territorial pairs of adults. Non-breeding juveniles forage socially and aggregate in communal winter roosts, and these appear to function as 'information centers' regarding the location of the rare food bonanzas: individuals search independently of one another and pool their effort by recruiting each other at roosts. However, at a large raven roost in Newborough on Anglesey, North Wales, some juveniles have been observed recently to forage in 'gangs' and to roost separately from other birds. Here we adapt a general model of juvenile common raven foraging behavior where, in addition to the typical co-operative foraging strategy, such gang foraging behavior could be evolutiona

SUBMITTER: Dall SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2646834 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature