New research conducted by scientists from the universities of Exeter and Bristol has shed light on the social behaviors of wild jackdaws, offering insights into animal social dynamics and the evolution of intelligence.
In an experiment led by Dr. Michael Kings and Dr. Josh Arbon, supervised by Professor Alex Thornton as part of the Cornish Jackdaw Project, wild jackdaws were presented with a task where access to tasty mealworms was contingent on which individuals they associated with. The results revealed that jackdaws exhibited a flexible approach to their social relationships.
The birds were quick to adjust their friendships, favoring new associations that promised better rewards while abandoning previous companions from other groups. However, the study also found that jackdaws maintained unwavering loyalty to their family members, including offspring, siblings, and their lifelong mating partners.
This research, published in Nature Communications on September 11, provides fresh insights into how animals navigate and adapt their social connections in response to external incentives.
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Professor Thornton, based at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, explained, “In this experiment, we randomly assigned jackdaws to two groups – A or B – and programmed a pair of automated PIT tag-detecting feeders to provide delicious mealworms only if individuals from the same group (AA or BB) visited together.”
He further noted, “The jackdaws turned out to be very strategic, quickly learning to hang out with members of their own group and ditching old ‘friends’ from the other group so they could get the best rewards. However, they made an exception when it came to their close relations.”
Dr. Kings, affiliated with the University of Exeter, emphasized the significance of these findings, stating, “These results have important implications for our understanding of the evolution of intelligence as they show that being able to track and remember information about social partners can bring benefits.”
Dr. Arbon, who has since joined the University of Bristol, added, “Our findings also help us to understand how societies emerge from individual decisions. The balance between strategically playing the field for short-term benefits and investing in valuable long-term partners ultimately shapes the structure of animal societies, including our own.”
References: Kings M, Arbon JJ, McIvor GE, Whitaker M, Radford AN, Lerner J, Thornton A. Wild jackdaws can selectively adjust their social associations while preserving valuable long-term relationships. Nature Communications. Springer Science and Business Media LLC; 2023 Sep 11;14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40808-7
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