Corvids (Family: CORVIDAE) are a clade of some 120 species widespread throughout much of the world that have attracted the interest of researchers due to their impressive cognitive abilities. The group is, however, also generally described as neophobic, a trait that increases the difficulty of undertaking such research. In Australia, Torresian crows (Corvus orru) have, like corvid species worldwide, thrived in urban environments, sharing this habitat with a number of other corvoid (Superfamily: CORVOIDEA) species. While each of these species has successfully colonised urban areas, the extent to which neophobia is present is not known. This study empirically tested the extent to which neophobia is exhibited in wild urban Torresian crows by measuring the delaying effect of a novel object to obtaining food and any changes in neophobic behaviours displayed. This was then compared with the other urban corvoid species that inhabit similar niches. This study confirmed that Torresian crows are significantly wary of a novel objects, displaying more neophobic behaviours and taking longer to attain the food. Crow behaviour provided evidence in support of both the dangerous niche hypothesis and the two‐factor model of neophobia and neophilia. Crows also displayed these behaviours to a significantly greater extent than the three other corvoids studied. However, the individual variation in crow behaviours when exposed to a novel object was extensive. This variation may be attributed to differing behavioural types between individuals, or different experiences with novel objects or humans in the bird's past.
Summarized are the procedures and results of a survey used to obtain information on persons in households who quickly refused or could not be contacted to respond to the 1997 Denver Region Travel Behavior Inventory household travel survey. Quick-refusals are people who hang up the telephone without listening to the full short introduction and the first question of the recruiting call. In this study, 1,000 households that quickly refused or could not be contacted in the household survey were sent a letter and a short survey on household demographics in an effort to obtain limited data about the household. To test the impact of a small incentive on the follow-up survey, half the samples were given a $2 cash incentive, and the other half received no incentive. The survey included questions asking why the households did not respond to the survey as well as some limited demographic and travel questions. The results of the survey showed some differences between the nonresponding households and the households that did respond to the household survey. At the same time, the survey results suggested that trip rates for the two groups might be very similar. The results suggest that the hypothesis that quick-refusal and no-contact households travel more than households responding to travel surveys may not be valid.
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