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ANSC 378 - Companion Animal Behaviour > Final - Bird Behaviour > Flashcards

Final - Bird Behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

Natural history of birds

A

Birds include over 10,000 species
- span all continents and a variety of habitats
- warm-blooded with high metabolic rats
- may be carnivores, omnivores or herbivores; adaptations in their anatomy, behaviour, and cognitive abilities

First birds were kept more than 2,000 years ago

As pets, birds have been popular in many different cultures and countries

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2
Q

What are crows an example of? What crow do we refer to in Canada?

A
  • A large passerine (perching bird) related to the larger Raven, as well as Rooks and Jays
  • In Canada, we usually refer to the American Crow; breed from Newfoundland to Manitoba and migrate south in the winter
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3
Q

What is a group of crows called?

A

A flock or a murder

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4
Q

Why study crows?

A

Crows are among the most intelligent of birds (teach us about cognitive abilities and sentience)
- can count to 3 or 4
- good at solving puzzles
- good memories
- employ a diverse and behaviourally complex range of vocalizations
- can mimic the human voice or sounds made by other birds
- quickly learn to associate various noises and symbols with food

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5
Q

4 components of crow diet

A
  1. Omnivorous, eating almost anything (over 600 different items)
    -1/3 of annual diet is animal matter
  2. Scavengers
    - tend to frequent sites inhabited by humans in order to feed on household waste
    - crows actively hunt and occasionally co-operate with other crows to make kills
  3. Adept at pirating
    - will harass birds of prey or even species such as foxes and their kills
  4. Post a sentinel while feeding
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6
Q

Crow nesting

A
  • Begin nesting in early spring (Fed to May)
  • The bulky stick nest is usually placed in a tall tree; cliff ledges, old buildings and pylons may be used; occasionally placed near the ground
  • 4-6 brown-speckled blue or greenish eggs are incubated for 17-19 days by the female alone, who is fed by the male
  • the young fledge after 32-36 days
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7
Q

Crow social systems

A
  • social groups = extended family
  • assist the breeding pair in feeding new chicks, cleaning the nest and defending the territories from predators and intruders
  • more complex social structure = greater cognitive abilities
  • have to be able to calculate interactions in more complex social organizations (Theory of Mind)
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8
Q

Crow life span

A
  • Few crows in the wild live more than 4-6 years; some have lived to 14 years in the wild and over 20 years in captivity
  • Adult crows have few predators; sometimes larger hawks, owls, and canines
  • Brood losses result from: predation by raccoons, great-horned owls, starvation and adverse weather
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9
Q

Crow calls

A

Has a guttural, slightly vibrant, deep croaked “kraaa”

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10
Q

How long do crows stay with parents?

A

For about 5 YEARS
- Cognitive development benefit from this? Social learning?
- Ear a variety of food items and have to learn to work with a variety of foods by 4 months

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11
Q

Caching

A
  • Agile thinking when storing food (hiding it) called food caching
  • They will watch whether others are watching and will move it if they suspect they have been seen
  • Will fake cache
  • At 5 months crows can cache (end of adolescence) but few make it beyond 6 months of age due to city dangers
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12
Q

3 examples of learning in crows

A
  1. Crow funerals
    - sit in trees for a few minutes at site of death
  2. Learn from parents
    - able to pass on knowledge from one generation to the next (and retain that knowledge for months)
    - can distinguish btw faces and how their parents reacted
  3. Play is an intelligent behaviour
    - helps animals encounter unexpected things
    - cannonball rolls and loop-d-loops to evade hawks, attract mates, or display play
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13
Q

Parrots

A

Psittacines (true parrots)
- usually live in warm, tropical regions
- curved bill, upright stance, clawed feet

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14
Q

What colour are most parrots?

A

Green with other bright colours
- come species are multi-coloured
- crest used for display and then retracted

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15
Q

Most parrots show little or no sexual dimorphism, what is the exception?

A

The Eclectus parrot

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16
Q

What parrot species are commonly kept as pets?

A

Macaws, amazons, cockatoos, african greys, lovebirds, cockatiels, budgies/parakeets, and eclectus

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17
Q

How do species of parrots vary behaviourally?

A

Species vary in their temperament, noise level, talking ability, cuddliness with people, and care needs
- how a parrot has been raised often greatly affects its personality

18
Q

Why do parrot make excellent companion animlas? What’s a caveat to that?

A
  • Form close, affectionate bonds with their owners
  • However, require an enormous amount of attention, care and intellectual stimulation to thrive
19
Q

What are parrots akin to?

A

A 3 year old child

20
Q

Life span of cockatoos, amazons, and macaws vs small parrots (lovebirds and budgies)

A

Cockatoos, amazons, macaws: 80-100yrs

Small parrots: 15-20yrs

21
Q

Where do most species of parrots spend most of their time?

A

Perched or climbing in tree canopies
- Use their bills for climbing by gripping or hooking on branches and other supports

22
Q

On the ground, what kind of gait do parrots walk with?

A

a rolling gait

23
Q

How are parrots found in the wild?

A

Live in flocks and will fly many hours per day in the wild

24
Q

How do parrots spend most of their day?

A

Grooming themselves and others, as well as foraging for food
*if disheveled, they are likely sick

25
Q

What is a natural part of food gathering behaviour for parrots?

A

Destruction of leaves and fruit

26
Q

What are some behaviour characteristics of parrots?

A
  1. Highly visual
    - communicate through eye contact and body language
    - “evil eye” for a few seconds is a quick and effective way to communicate disapproval
  2. Highly empathetic
    - social referencing; their behaviour and mod may reflect the energy and mood of their owners
  3. Prey species with instinctive fears of and responses of prey animals
  4. Highly social
    - in the wild, they stay in touch using contact calls
  5. Wild animals
    - even if hand-raised, they are not domesticated, they are tame
27
Q

Parrot diet

A
  • Mainly consists of seeds nuts, fruits, buds, nectar, pollen, and other plant materials
  • Some will eat insects
  • To a lesser degree, some will eat small prey animals
  • Parrots are seed predators rather than seed dispersers; will destroy seed pod to get the “meat”
28
Q

Why did parrots evolve to have a large and powerful bill?

A

Adaptation to opening and consuming seeds
- Seeds often have poisons to protect them, so the parrot is careful to remove the seed coat
- Some species of parrot will also consume clay to absorb toxic compounds from the gut

29
Q

Parrot Morphology

A

Upper mandible is prominent, curves downward and comes to a point
- Bill is not fused to the skull; moves independently and contributes to the increased biting pressure these birds are able to exert

Seed eating parrots have a strong tongue which helps to manipulate seeds or position nuts in the bill so the mandibles can apply cracking force

Head is large, eyes positioned sideways
- limits binocular vision
- enhances peripheral vision

30
Q

Parrot habitat and nesting

A

Almost all parrots nest in tree holes (or nest boxes in captivity)
- Called cavity nesters

Most come from the Australasian and South American regions

While a few parrot species are wholly sedentary or fully migratory, the majority fall somewhere between the two
- regional movements aren’t fully understood
- some species adopt an entirely nomadic lifestyle

31
Q

Parrot Breeding

A

With few exception, parrots are monogamous breeders
- Nest in cavities and hold no territories other than their nesting sites
- The pair bonds of parrots and cockatoos are strong. Will remain close during the non-breeding season, even if they join a larger flock

32
Q

What is pair bonding in parrots and cockatoos preceded by?

A

Courtship displays
- Male will take slow, deliberate steps known as a “parade” or “stately walk”
- Will also show the “eye blaze” where the pupil of the eye constricts to reveal the edge of the iris

33
Q

What is used by a pair of parrots or cockatoos to maintain their bond?

A

Allopreening

34
Q

Parrot young

A
  • Lay white eggs from which emerge altricial (helpless) young; lack feather or have sparse white down
  • Young will spend 3 wks to 4 months in the nest, depending on the species; may receive parental care for additional months
35
Q

Is learning in early life important for all parrots?

A

YES! Much of this is social learning

36
Q

How are social interactions practiced by young parrots?

A

With siblings

37
Q

How do young parrots learn foraging behaviour?

A

From parents

38
Q

How does play form a large part of learning in parrots?

A
  • Can be solitary, related to motor skills, or social
  • May engage in play fights or practice predator evasion
  • An absence of stimuli can slow the development of young birds; may show stereotypic behaviours or harmful behaviours; good enviro enrichment can help keep parrots stimulated
39
Q

Intelligence and learning in parrots

A
  • Along with crows, ravens and jays, parrots are considered the most intelligent of birds
  • The brain-to-body ratio in psittacines and corvines is comparable to that of higher primates
  • Small cerebral cortex; however, birds use the medio-rostral neostriatum/hyperstriatum ventrale as their seat of intelligence
  • The lower part of the avian brain is functionally similar to that of humans; able to use tools and solve puzzles
40
Q

Parrots do not have vocal cords, so how is sound accomplished?

A

Sound is accomplished by expelling air across the mouth of the bifurcated trachea
- Different sounds are produced by changing the depth and shape of the trachea

41
Q

Smart Kea

A
  • Nestor notabilis
  • Pop: 1000 - 5000
  • Conservation status: nationally endangered
  • Found in alpine enviros of the South Island of New Zealand
  • Kea grow up to 50cm long and although mostly vegetarian, also enjoy grubs and insects
  • In danger due to habitat destruction, stoats and possums eating eggs, nests on ground
  • Have been able to solve complex puzzle boxes like crows
  • Known for their inquisitive nature BUT this can get them into trouble

ANSC 378 - Companion Animal Behaviour (18 decks)

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