Abstract
A fundamental question about the complexity of corvid social cognition is whether behaviours exhibited when caching in front of potential pilferers represent specific attempts to prevent cache loss (cache protection hypothesis) or whether they are by-products of other behaviours (by-product hypothesis). Here, we demonstrate that Eurasian jays preferentially cache at a distance when observed by conspecifics. This preference for a ‘far’ location could be either a by-product of a general preference for caching at that specific location regardless of the risk of cache loss or a by-product of a general preference to be far away from conspecifics due to low intra-species tolerance. Critically, we found that neither by-product account explains the jays’ behaviour: the preference for the ‘far’ location was not shown when caching in private or when eating in front of a conspecific. In line with the cache protection hypothesis we found that jays preferred the distant location only when caching in front of a conspecific. Thus, it seems likely that for Eurasian jays, caching at a distance from an observer is a specific cache protection strategy.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10071-016-0972-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Corvids exhibit a range of behaviours that function to alleviate the threat of conspecifics pilfering their caches
A fundamental question about the complexity of corvid social cognition is whether behaviours exhibited when caching in front of potential pilferers represent specific attempts to prevent cache loss or whether they are by-products of other behaviours
In line with the cache protection hypothesis we found that jays preferred the distant location only when caching in front of a conspecific
Summary
Corvids exhibit a range of behaviours that function to alleviate the threat of conspecifics pilfering their caches These strategies include caching in locations where conspecifics cannot see or hear the caches being made and recaching items that a conspecific has seen being cached (Emery and Clayton 2001; Dally et al 2004, 2005; Bugnyar and Heinrich 2005). These cache protection strategies have been proposed to be the result of sophisticated social cognitive mechanisms that allow corvids to anticipate the threat of conspecific pilferers (cache protection hypothesis; Bugnyar 2007; Dally et al 2010). Eurasian jays preferentially cache behind opaque barriers only when a conspecific is present (Legg and Clayton 2014) and Western scrub-jays spend similar
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
