אסיף מאגר המחקר החקלאי

Allofeeding in Arabian Babblers (Turdoides squamiceps)

Year:

2005

Source of publication :

Authors :

Volume :

146

Co-Authors:

Kalishov, A., Inst. for Nature Conserv. Research, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Zahavi, A., Inst. for Nature Conserv. Research, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

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Abstract:

Allofeeding is a common social display among adult Arabian babblers (Turdoides squamiceps). The sociology and rates of allofeeding were studied with a tame population of babblers at the Shezaf Nature Reserve in the Rift Valley, Israel. Allofeeding rate varies with the season and food availability. Experimental supplementation to the whole group or to certain individuals greatly increased the rate of allofeeding, but it did not change the social order of the interactions. The interactions were almost always unidirectional: the donor allofed an individual lower in rank. Most of the few exceptions were reciprocal allofeeding among pairs of low-ranking individuals, correlated with a change in dominance between a young male and a young female. Higher-ranking individuals sometimes interfered with allofeedings by lower-ranking ones, and receivers frequently refused to accept the food offered. Allofeeding may therefore be considered as a display of dominance. However, as dominance rank rarely changes, except in very young birds, we suggest that allofeeding interactions display the prestige of the donors, that is, the degree of dominance of one individual over the other. © Dt. Ornithologen-Gesellschaft e.V. 2005.

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