The effect of social connections on the discovery of multiple hidden food patches in a bird species.

ABSTRACT: Social foraging is thought to provide the possibility of information transmission between individuals, but this advantage has been proved only in a handful of species and contexts. We investigated how social connections in captive flocks of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) affected the discovery of (i.e. feeding for the first time from) two hidden food patches in the presence of informed flock-mates. At the first-discovered and most-exploited food patch social connections between birds affected the order of discovery and presumably contributed to a greater exploitation of this patch. However, social connections did not affect discovery at the second food patch despite its close spatial proximity. Males discovered the food sources sooner than females, while feeding activity was negatively

SUBMITTER: Toth Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5429748 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature