Water bathing alters threat perception in starlings
- Lookup NU author(s)
- Dr Ben Brilot
- Professor Melissa Bateson
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| Author(s) | | Brilot BO, Bateson M |
| Publication type | | Article |
| Journal | | Biology Letters |
| Year | | 2012 |
| Volume | | 8 |
| Issue | | 3 |
| Pages | | 379-381 |
| ISSN (print) | | 1744-9561 |
| ISSN (electronic) | | 1744-957X |
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| Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available. |
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| The majority of bird taxa perform water bathing, but little is known about the adaptive value of this behaviour. If bathing is important for feather maintenance then birds that have not bathed should have poorer feather condition, compromised escape ability and therefore increased responsiveness to cues of predation. We conducted two experiments examining the behaviour of captive starlings responding to conspecific alarm calls. Birds that had no access to bathing water showed a decreased willingness to feed and increased their vigilance behaviour following an alarm call. We argue that birds denied access to bathing water interpreted an ambiguous cue of threat as requiring more caution than birds that had access, consistent with higher levels of anxiety. Our results support the provision of bathing water for captive birds as an important welfare measure. |
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| Publisher | | The Royal Society Publishing |
| URL | | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1200 |
| DOI | | 10.1098/rsbl.2011.1200 |
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