Phenotypic plasticity of avian social-learning strategies

Mechanisms of copying behaviour in zebra finches

“…Unlike Riebel et al (2012) and Rosa et al (2012)'s findings, however, our females did not copy female demonstrators. It seems plausible that this difference may be due to context-dependence as one of several differences between our experiment and that of Rosa et al (2012)'s, for example, was that Rosa et al tested the extent that female zebra finches changed their preference (quantified previously) for an option after viewing a demonstrator interact with or consume the initially un-preferred male or food colour, respectively, while our observers had no prior experience with the experimental feeders before they had the opportunity to observe the demonstrators feeding.…”

“…The drawback to testing for a pre-existing preference for food/feeder colour before the social learning phase is that the observer would have the opportunity to learn about the colours asocially and may, therefore, not need to learn from a conspecific which novel colour feeder to choose. For this reason, and to use methodology consistent with earlier studies in which social learning in a foraging context with zebra finches has been investigated (Benskin et al, 2002;Katz and Lachlan, 2003;Riebel et al, 2012), we did not examine whether observers had a pre-existing colour preference. Because we are aware that such preferences may exist (Guillette et al, 2014;Muth et al, 2013), in Experiment 2 we did examine colour preferences in other birds.…”

“…Copying of food choices has also been demonstrated in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, a species that forages in flocks on grass seed in Australia (Benskin et al, 2002;Katz and Lachlan, 2003; Experiment 2, Riebel et al, 2012). There is evidence that the extent of food copying varies among individuals (Rosa et al, 2012) and depends on experimental conditions (Guillette et al, 2014).…”

Using dietary analysis and habitat selection to inform conservation management of reintroduced Great BustardsOtis tardain an agricultural landscape

“…It can further benefit translocation and reintroduction projects, where the released individuals may be initially ineffective foragers in their new environment (Palacín et al 2011, Haddaway et al 2012, Riebel et al 2012) and may form an important bridge for captive-reared individuals until they have the necessary skills to survive on their own (Morgan & Tromborg 2007). As a conservation tool, however, it is not without risk.…”

Food preference and copying behaviour in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata

“…Furthermore, zebra finches will also discriminate among demonstrators based on the size of 50 the brood in which those demonstrators were reared: male observers copied males that were 51 reared in large broods while female observers copied females from broods of a size similar to 52 their own (Riebel et al 2012). There appears to be little consistency in the variable by which 53 demonstrators differ and on which choice is based, suggesting there are a number of specific, 54 complex conditions under which social learning may occur in this social species (Laland 55 …”