| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 2005 |
| Authors: | Budden, AE, Wright, J |
| Journal: | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
| Volume: | 58 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Date Published: | 2005 |
| ISBN Number: | 03405443 |
| Keywords: | Laniidae, Lanius, Lanius meridionalis |
| Abstract: | Begging behaviour of nestling birds may involve more than a simple, honest source of information for parents to use in provisioning. Many aspects of begging behaviour relate instead to sibling competition for food items within the nest, and we might expect evidence of adaptive learning and behavioural adjustment in response to experience of the competitive environment. In this study, we consider begging in different locations within the nest as analogous to foraging in different patches, varying in food availability. Using hand-feeding trials, we created zones of differing profitability within an artificial nest by adjusting either the prey size or number of items delivered, and allowed only indirect competition between pairs of southern grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis) nestlings. Nestlings demonstrated the ability to detect differences in zone profitability and position themselves accordingly. By the end of both the prey size and delivery rate trials nestlings had increased the amount of time spent in the high quality zone. Such movement in response to differences in load quality, as well as frequency, demonstrates the ability of nestlings to learn about their environment and to facultatively adjust their begging in order to maximise energetic rewards. |
| URL: | http://www.jstor.org/stable/25063609 |
| Short Title: | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
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