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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Fine-Grained Spatial Abilities Of Three Seed-Caching Corvids, Brett M. Gibson, Alan Kamil
The Fine-Grained Spatial Abilities Of Three Seed-Caching Corvids, Brett M. Gibson, Alan Kamil
Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences
We used a psychophysical method to examine the ability of three corvid species to discern fine-grained spatial information. Nutcrackers, pinyon jays, and scrub-jays were required to discriminate the distance between two landmarks on a computer screen in an operant chamber. All three species were able to discriminate between arrays that differed by 20 mm; the discrimination gradients for scrub-jays and pinyon jays were sharper than those for nutcrackers, however. The results suggest that differences in spatial memory among these species are not related to differences in fine-grained perception.
Geographic And Ontogenetic Variation In The Contact Calls Of The Kea, Alan B. Bond, Judy Diamond
Geographic And Ontogenetic Variation In The Contact Calls Of The Kea, Alan B. Bond, Judy Diamond
Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences
Regional and ontogenetic variation in the contact calls of the kea (Nestor notabilis), an omnivorous and socially complex New Zealand parrot, were examined throughout the range of the species. We recorded samples of kee-ah contact calls from sixteen resident adults and eleven juveniles and demonstrated significant differences between age classes in the acoustic form of the vocalization. Canonical correlation analysis revealed a gradient in the form of the kee-ah call in both adults and juveniles along and across the escarpment of the Southern Alps, the primary longitudinal mountain range on the South Island of New Zealand. Although the …