The Role of Lateralization in Feeding Behavior and Scratching Preference in Relation to Social Behavior in Captive Caribbean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber)

Abstract

Lateralization is defined as a behavior or mental process displayed by an animal in which there is a distinctive side preference. Caribbean flamingos have been shown to display lateralization in neck resting behavior (Anderson, Williams, & O"Brien, 2009), and relationships between this side preference and aggression (Anderson, Williams, & Bono, 2010) and pair-bonding (Williams & Anderson, 2012) have been previously found. The present study investigated whether Caribbean flamingos display lateral behavioral preferences in foot scratching and two types of stamp-feeding behavior, and examined the relationship, if any, between these lateral behaviors and both pair-bonding and aggression. Four of the birds displayed an individual-level lateral preference on one of the two feeding behaviors. Foot scratching preference was related to age such that older birds tended to utilize the right foot more for scratching. Results also suggested that birds who scratch with the left foot are more likely to be involved in, to be targeted in, and to lose fights, suggesting that lateral foot usage during scratching may be somehow related to social behaviors in this species, but as significant lateral scratching preferences were not found, such results must be viewed with caution. The lateral feeding behaviors did not appear to be significantly related to social cohesion.

Lateralization of complex behaviours in wild greater flamingos

“…In (c) the mean L (solid line) is at 0.498 on the right hand-side. Peluso and Anderson (2014) did not find evidence of lateralization of stamping in a zoo population of Caribbean flamingos. This discrepancy with our study results partly from our much larger sample size (number of individuals: N = 77; number of repeated observations per individual, n = 3-8; Peluso & Anderson, 2014: N = 14; n = 1-7), and mainly from the ambidexterity of their animals (nine of their 14 animals rotated both clockwise and anticlockwise during stamping, whereas only one of our 77 animals did not systematically rotate in one direction).…”

“…This discrepancy with our study results partly from our much larger sample size (number of individuals: N = 77; number of repeated observations per individual, n = 3-8; Peluso & Anderson, 2014: N = 14; n = 1-7), and mainly from the ambidexterity of their animals (nine of their 14 animals rotated both clockwise and anticlockwise during stamping, whereas only one of our 77 animals did not systematically rotate in one direction). Another difference is that Peluso and Anderson (2014) tracked individuals over several days whereas we recorded each individual on a single day. It thus remains possible that our flamingos are ambidextrous for stamping over many days.…”

“…We found a small positive effect of age on individual lateralization for twist -preen. Similarly, lateralization of foot scratching increases with age in captive Caribbean flamingos (Peluso & Anderson, 2014), and lateralization is often stronger in older mammals (Canning et al, 2011;McGreevy & Thomson, 2006). A possible explanation for positive relationships between age and lateralization is that performing complex behaviours is demanding and requires physiological maturation including the progressive lateralization of the brain.…”

Evaluating the social networks of four flocks of captive flamingos over a five-year period: Temporal, environmental, group and health influences on assortment

“…Transient reproductive bonds, that change with each breeding season in the wild have been noted in a flock of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) in the Camargue (Johnson & Cézilly, 2009;Perrot et al, 2016) but bird-to-bird social bonds are unknown for other flamingo species in the wild. A mixture of close companions and casual acquaintances have been identified in previous, small-scale studies on captive flamingo social choices (Freeman et al, 2016;Hughes, 2015;Pelusuo & Anderson, 2014;Rose & Croft, 2017, 2018) and behavioural differences are noted in birds invested in strong pair-bonds compared to single individuals during breeding (Perdue et al, 2011).…”