Records |
Author |
Giraldeau, L.-A.; Lefebvre, L. |
Title |
Exchangeable producer and scrounger roles in a captive flock of feral pigeons: a case for the skill pool effect |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1986 |
Publication |
Animal Behaviour |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Behav. |
Volume |
34 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages ![sorted by First Page field, ascending order (up)](img/sort_asc.gif) |
797-803 |
Keywords |
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Abstract |
We investigated the foraging producer-scrounger system of a captive flock of feral pigeons (Columba livia) by monitoring the number of food patches each individual produced. In one experiment, three different patch types were tested on the whole flock while, in a second, flock composition was varied for one patch type. In all cases we found non-uniform distributions of the number of patches produced per individual, which suggests the existence of producer and scrounger roles. This result could not be explained by either dominance or variability in individual learning ability. Individuals switched roles in response to changes both in food patch type and flock composition. These results are discussed in light of the skill pool hypothesis, which suggests that, in a group, different foraging specialists will profit by parasitizing each other's food discoveries. |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0003-3472 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Conference |
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Notes |
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Approved |
no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6012 |
Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Templeton, J.J.; Giraldeau, L.-A. |
Title |
Public information cues affect the scrounging decisions of starlings |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1995 |
Publication |
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Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
49 |
Issue |
6 |
Pages ![sorted by First Page field, ascending order (up)](img/sort_asc.gif) |
1617-1626 |
Keywords |
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Abstract |
The foraging decisions that individuals make within groups should depend on the information available to them. An aviary experiment was conducted to examine whether a starling's, Sturnus vulgaris, decisions either to approach and feed from (scrounge) or to avoid the patches exploited by a partner bird are influenced by the information the partner provides. Both the type of information a subject could recognize and the point at which this information became available during the partner's exploitation of a patch were manipulaed. Information concerning the quality of a patch was available in the form of a concealed colour cue and from the behaviour of the partner bird. The foraging environment was manipulated such that colour cues were either present or absent, and provided either correct or incorrect information concerning the presence of food. When cues corresponded with past foraging experience, test subjects responded selectively and profitably to the patch exploitations of the partner; they scrounged from a higher proportion of profitable patches than control birds, which lacked the ability to recognize colour cues. Test subjects also arrived more quickly at profitable patches that the partner bird discovered than did control birds; and consequently, were able to obtain more food at each food patch scrounged. Finally, test subjects avoided scrounging when the partner discovered empty patches and thus saved foraging time. Responding selectively to public information, therefore, allows an individual to compete more effectively for resources within a foraging group. |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2190 |
Permanent link to this record |