Miller (Harrison), R. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2023

Social attention across development in common ravens and carrion crows

Underlying social learning and other important aspects of successful adaptation to social life is social awareness, where individuals are required to pay attention and respond flexibly to others in their environment. We tested the influence of social context (alone, affiliate, non-affiliate, heterospecific) on behavioural interactions (manipulation, caching, head & body out of sight i.e. barrier use) with food and objects during development at fledging (1-2 months), juvenile (3-8 months) and sub-adult (14-18 months old) in 10 carrion crows (Corvus corone; C. cornix) and nine common ravens (C. corax). These species are closely related, generalist corvids and subjects were all hand-reared and housed in highly comparable conditions. Both species will routinely cache, i.e. hide food and other items for later recovery, and engage in cache-pilfering (stealing) strategies. They will interact and play with objects, potentially as part of developing social bonding and/or physical skills. We found that corvid behaviour was influenced by social context, with birds showing higher frequency of head & body out of sight behaviour while others were observing than when alone, suggesting they have an awareness of others presence and respond by using barriers when interacting with items. There were no differences based on observer identity, supporting an interpretation of item interaction and play potentially driving development of physical skills in this setting. There were developmental effects, including increased manipulation and use of barriers as juveniles as well as increased caching with age. Ravens generally cached more than crows. Objects were manipulated more frequently than food, while barriers were used more with food, indicating that food was more likely to be actively hidden while objects may promote open play. We discuss our findings in relation to other social and developmental influences on behaviour and the wider ramifications for identifying the drivers of play in animals.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2021

Increasing Animal Cognition Research in Zoos

Animal cognition covers various mental processes including perception, learning, decision-making and memory, and animal behavior is often used as a proxy for measuring cognition. Animal cognition/behavior research has multiple benefits; it provides fundamental knowledge on animal biology and evolution but can also have applied conservation and welfare applications. Zoos provide an excellent yet relatively untapped resource for animal cognition research, because they house a wide variety of species - many of which are under threat - and allow close observation and relatively high experimental control compared to the wild. Multi-zoo collaboration leads to increased sample size and species representation, which in turn leads to more robust science. However, there are salient challenges associated with zoo-based cognitive research, which are subject-based (e.g., small sample sizes at single zoos, untrained/unhabituated subjects, site effects) and human-based (e.g., time restrictions, safety concerns, and perceptions of animals interacting with unnatural technology or apparatus). We aim to increase the understanding and subsequent uptake of animal cognition research in zoos, by transparently outlining the main benefits and challenges. Importantly, we use our own research (1) a study on novelty responses in hornbills, and (2) a multi-site collaboration called the ManyBirds project to demonstrate how challenges may be overcome. These potential options include using drop and go apparatuses that require no training, close human contact or animal separation. This article is aimed at zoo animal care and research staff, as well as external researchers interested in zoo-based studies. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTSO_LIZoos are an excellent yet relatively untapped resource for animal cognition research. C_LIO_LIZoo cognition research has historically been challenging, and traditional laboratory paradigms often do not translate well to the majority of zoos. C_LIO_LISalient challenges of zoo-based cognitive research can be overcome by using less restrictive test apparatuses, limiting animal training and isolation, and subscribing to multi-zoo collaborative programs. C_LI

scientific communication and education↗