First observations of water provisioning to wild altricial nestlings: pied crow (Corvus albus) parents resolve a sticky situation in The Gambia
In: BehaviourThe Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
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Abstract
Nestlings of altricial birds are not typically provisioned water. For the first time in a wild altricial bird we provide annotated video documentation of adult pied crows (Corvus albus) gathering water with their bills and provisioning it to their nestlings in a similar manner as food is delivered. The circumstances of this provisioning suggest that the function is to dislodge anthropogenic food (mainly boiled rice, which has a sticky consistency) from the parent’s bill, flush it into the mouth of the nestling, and facilitate swallowing. The means by which the adults gather the water without swallowing and transport it is also unusual. Water provisioning by pied crows is a previously undescribed example of corvid ingenuity, likely in an effort to handle novel food in a human-altered environment.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
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First observations of water provisioning to wild altricial nestlings: pied crow (Corvus albus) parents resolve a sticky situation in The Gambia
In: BehaviourThe Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
Search for other papers by David C. Lahti in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Clive R. Barlow in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Nestlings of altricial birds are not typically provisioned water. For the first time in a wild altricial bird we provide annotated video documentation of adult pied crows (Corvus albus) gathering water with their bills and provisioning it to their nestlings in a similar manner as food is delivered. The circumstances of this provisioning suggest that the function is to dislodge anthropogenic food (mainly boiled rice, which has a sticky consistency) from the parent’s bill, flush it into the mouth of the nestling, and facilitate swallowing. The means by which the adults gather the water without swallowing and transport it is also unusual. Water provisioning by pied crows is a previously undescribed example of corvid ingenuity, likely in an effort to handle novel food in a human-altered environment.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 250 | 250 | 36 |
| Full Text Views | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 27 | 27 | 4 |