Final - Bird Behaviour

Question 1

Natural history of birds

Answer 1

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

Question 2

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

Answer 2

• 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

Question 3

What is a group of crows called?

Answer 3

A flock or a murder

Question 4

Why study crows?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

4 components of crow diet

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Crow nesting

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

Crow social systems

Answer 7

• 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)

Question 8

Crow life span

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Crow calls

Answer 9

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

Question 10

How long do crows stay with parents?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Caching

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

3 examples of learning in crows

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Parrots

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What colour are most parrots?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

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

Answer 15

The Eclectus parrot

Question 16

What parrot species are commonly kept as pets?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

How do species of parrots vary behaviourally?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

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

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What are parrots akin to?

Answer 19

A 3 year old child

Question 20

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

Answer 20

Cockatoos, amazons, macaws: 80-100yrs

Small parrots: 15-20yrs

Question 21

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

Answer 21

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

Question 22

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

Answer 22

a rolling gait

Question 23

How are parrots found in the wild?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

How do parrots spend most of their day?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

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

Answer 25

Destruction of leaves and fruit

Question 26

What are some behaviour characteristics of parrots?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Parrot diet

Answer 27

• 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”

Question 28

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

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Parrot Morphology

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Parrot habitat and nesting

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Parrot Breeding

Answer 31

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

Question 32

What is pair bonding in parrots and cockatoos preceded by?

Answer 32

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

Question 33

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

Answer 33

Allopreening

Question 34

Parrot young

Answer 34

• 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

Question 35

Is learning in early life important for all parrots?

Answer 35

YES! Much of this is social learning

Question 36

How are social interactions practiced by young parrots?

Answer 36

With siblings

Question 37

How do young parrots learn foraging behaviour?

Answer 37

From parents

Question 38

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

Answer 38

• 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

Question 39

Intelligence and learning in parrots

Answer 39

• 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

Question 40

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

Answer 40

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

Question 41

Smart Kea

Answer 41

• 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