Testing social learning of anti-predator responses in juvenile jackdaws: the importance of accounting for levels of agitation.

ABSTRACT: Social learning is often assumed to help young animals respond appropriately to potential threats in the environment. We brought wild, juvenile jackdaws briefly into captivity to test whether short exposures to conspecific vocalizations are sufficient to promote anti-predator learning. Individuals were presented with one of two models-a stuffed fox representing a genuine threat, or a toy elephant simulating a novel predator. Following an initial baseline presentation, juveniles were trained by pairing models with either adult mobbing calls, indicating danger, or contact calls suggesting no danger. In a final test phase with no playbacks, birds appeared to have habituated to the elephant, regardless of training, but responses to the fox remained high throughout, suggesting juveniles already

SUBMITTER: McIvor GE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5792938 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature