Cognition in a Changing World: Red-Headed Gouldian Finches Enter Spatially Unfamiliar Habitats More Readily Than Do Black-Headed Birds

Abstract

Human activities are increasingly confronting animals with unfamiliar environmental conditions. For example, habitat change and loss often lead to habitat fragmentation, which can create barriers of unsuitable and unfamiliar habitat affecting animal movements and survival. When confronted with habitat changes, animals' cognitive abilities play an important, but often neglected part in dealing with such change. Animals must decide whether to approach and investigate novel habitats (spatial neophilia) or whether to avoid them (spatial neophobia) due to potential danger. For species with strict habitat preferences, such as the Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae), which is an open habitat specialist, understanding these novelty responses may be especially important for predicting responses to habitat changes. The Gouldian finch is a polymorphic species, with primarily red or black head colors, which are linked to differing behavioral phenotypes, including novelty reactions. Here we investigate responses to novel habitats (open, dense) in the Gouldian finch, manipulating the color composition of samesex pairs. Two experiments, each consisting of novel open and novel dense habitat, tested birds in opposite head color combinations in the two experiments. We measured the number of approaches birds made (demonstrating conflict between approach and avoidance), and their entry latency to novel habitats. Gouldian finches showed more approach attempts (stronger approach-avoidance conflict) toward the dense as compared to the open habitat, confirming their open habitat preferences. Black-headed birds also hesitated longer to enter the dense habitat as compared to the open habitat, particularly in experiment 1, appearing less neophilic than red-headed birds, which showed similar entry latencies into both habitat types. This is surprising as black-headed birds were more neophilic in other contexts. Moreover, there was some indication that pairings including at least one black-headed bird had a stronger approach-avoidance conflict than pairings of pure red-headed birds. Results suggest that the black-headed

Individual Variation in Dietary Wariness Is Predicted by Head Color in a Specialist Feeder, the Gouldian Finch

“…However, black-headed birds hesitate longer to enter unsuitable novel habitats (Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2020). The combination of high interest in changes in the familiar environment and less interest in entering unfamiliar environments in the black-headed birds is consistent with a resident cognitive strategy (Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2020). This allows tracking of changes in the familiar environment facilitating persistence at a site (Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2005.…”

“…This allows tracking of changes in the familiar environment facilitating persistence at a site (Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2005. In contrast, the higher willingness of red-headed birds to enter unfamiliar environments but refraining from investigating changes in the familiar environment is consistent with a migratory/nomadic cognitive strategy (Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2020). Moreover, morph composition has been shown to affect novelty responses in Gouldian finch social groups.…”

“…In situ research has shown head color signals personality; black-headed birds are consistently less aggressive yet readily investigate changes in their familiar environment (novel objects) and take greater risk in potentially dangerous situations than red-headed birds (Williams et al, 2012). However, black-headed birds hesitate longer to enter unsuitable novel habitats (Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2020). The combination of high interest in changes in the familiar environment and less interest in entering unfamiliar environments in the black-headed birds is consistent with a resident cognitive strategy (Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2020).…”

Constitutive gene expression differs in three brain regions important for cognition in neophobic and non-neophobic house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

“…A willingness to explore novelty may increase an individual's likelihood of discovering new foods and nest sites, but it may also increase predation and disease risk [11][12][13]. Because novel urban and suburban environments are replacing natural environments on a global scale, neophobia is a personality trait with critical ecological and evolutionary relevance for wild populations [14].…”

Cross-Context Responses to Novelty in Rural and Urban Small Mammals

“…For instance, urban dwellers have to cope with novel or altered levels of human disturbance, habitat fragmentation, resource availability, predators, and competitor and parasite communities (e.g., Sih et al, 2011). Wildlife responses to novelty and urbanization are thus a key focus of current behavioral and cognitive research (e.g., Crane et al, 2020;Mettke-Hofmann et al, 2020;Sol et al, 2020;Lee and Thornton, 2021). Since behavior and cognition largely determine how individuals interact with their surroundings, behavioral and cognitive adaptations are expected to play a major role in coping with human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC, sensu Sih et al, 2011) (e.g., Greggor et al, 2014;Barrett et al, 2019;Goumas et al, 2020).…”