Certain cunning birds may be the latest example of social learning in non-human animals. Great boobs experiment (Oparas), a team of scientists discovered that when birds move to a new environment, they pay very close attention to what other birds are doing. This allows you to quickly adopt new behaviors that are ultimately beneficial. Here are the findings: The study was published Nov. 14 in the journal PLOS Biology.
down to the cream
Some animals that live in groups, such as elephants, whales, and some primates, learn from each other. But the great tit is a species that has opened a wide door for scientists to understand social learning in animals.
In the 1920s, residents of a small British town first reported these symptoms. A little bird was opening the foil lid of a milk bottle to get some cream. internal. Soon after, people across Europe reported the same practice of using unsecured milk bottles. Scientists began to speculate that birds across the continent might be learning this behavior from each other.
[Related: These birds appear to be signaling ‘after you.’]
Exactly how they were doing this remained a secret until then. 2015. A team led by behavioral ecologist Lucy Aplin conducted an experiment on a population of great tits in British forests. In an experiment, birds Learn how to get food out of a puzzle box by copying other people’s answers. This confirmed that the original milk raiding bird had passed on its method to different flocks.
“Social learning is a great shortcut to safely testing new waters,” says Michael Chimento, an evolutionary biologist and co-author of the new study from the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz. states. stated in a statement. “By paying attention to the behavior of others, you have the opportunity to learn whether a new behavior is beneficial or potentially dangerous. If you copy it, you too can reap the rewards.” .”
Chimento and Alpin were interested in whether there were specific events that triggered social learning in great tits, allowing the birds to obtain rewards more efficiently. some theoretical model Suggest that once you move to a new place, you can learn from others.
“But no one has shown this experimentally in animals other than humans,” Chimento says.
birds on the move
when birds migratethey move to a new location with the intention of staying. Migration is more temporary and seasonal. in new researchthe team developed an automated puzzle box system to test the hypothesis that bird migration promotes learning. They created an experimental social group of wild-caught great tits. Each group had a “bird tutor” who was trained to push the door to the right or left to access the food from the puzzle box. Bird tutors were then released into each group, one at a time, allowing flock members to use one solution over another.
Next, the immigration event began. The bird that pressed the right door was transferred to the aviary where the resident bird was pressing the left door, and vice versa. The new birds weren’t just about resident birds opening puzzle boxes in new ways. Some groups also observed that residents received superior rewards for using their methods.
Puzzle-solving titmouse (Great Tit). This puzzle is from a different experiment and is different in design from the puzzle used in the PLOS Biology paper published on November 14, 2024. Credit: Hervé Glabeck – Docland Yard.
Video: Puzzle-solving titmouse (Tumbo titus). This puzzle is from a different experiment and is different in design from the puzzle used in the PLOS Biology paper published on November 14, 2024. Credit: Hervé Glabeck – Docland Yard
“The important thing is that the migrants were not aware of the fact that their food remuneration had changed,” Chimento said. “The immigrants could only tell that something had changed by watching residents use the puzzle or by trying the other side themselves.”
After being released into a new aviary, about 80% The bird quickly switched methods. Instead of trying to recover food, which they were trained to do, the migrants used a resident solution in their first attempt. According to the teamthis apparent result argues that social learning is occurring.
“Of course, we can’t ask birds exactly where they get their information from, but these behavioral patterns suggest that they were closely observing residents from the moment they entered a new social group. That’s impressive enough,” Chimento said.
Changes in autumn leaves
Migratory birds are not only relocated to areas where residents have better food; Scientists have also dramatically changed their visual world. I changed the leaves of the experimental aviary..
This changed visual environment turned out to be the key to learning. In trials where the leaves were not changed, 25 percent Even though the locals had access to better food, one of the new birds tried the resident solution from the start. According to the teamthey weren’t necessarily ignoring the population, but it would likely take quite some time to switch to a more beneficial solution.
[Related: Great tits are killing birds and eating their brains. Climate change may be to blame.]
“Our analysis suggests that this is because residents are not as affected,” Chimento said.
This evidence shows that immigration affects how animals learn from each other in the lab, but it can be profound in the real world.
“In nature, animals often move from one environment to another, so it’s helpful to have strategies to weed out good and bad behaviors to use in new locations,” said study co-author and current said behavioral ecologist Lucy Alpin in a statement from the Australian National University and the University of Zurich. “Our study provided experimental evidence that this also happens in real life.”
