Abstract
We examined the role of visual and social experience with siblings in the development of bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) chicks' preference for species-specific maternal visual cues. Chicks were reared in 1 of 4 conditions: group, isolation, partial isolation, and heterospecific group. They were tested in simultaneous choice tests with species-typical and species-atypical audiovisual stimuli. Results revealed that only subjects that were reared in a group with same-aged conspecifics preferred the visual features of a bobwhite hen model. Subjects in the other 3 conditions did not exhibit species-specific visual preference. The findings suggest that visual experience and direct social interaction with siblings facilitate the development of bobwhite chicks' species-specific responsiveness to static maternal visual cues and illustrate the important influence of experience with conspecifics in the development of early perceptual preferences.
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