THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL-LEARNING ON THE FOOD CHOICE OF THE HOUSE SPARROW (PASSER-DOMESTICUS)

The effects of social feeding on the selection of never coloured food and food intake by house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were studied in three experiments. In the first experiment, birds were given the choic e of feeding on two novel types of coloured food after observations of an experienced bird feeding on them. These observers consumed more fo od of the colour that they had observed being eaten and also had an el evated total consumption compared to birds that had observed coloured food alone. In the second experiment, birds were given a choice betwee n red and yellow food while adjacent to an experienced bird that was f eeding on either red food or quinine-treated red food. The group obser ving consumption of treated red food consumed less red food than the o ther group. There was a significant correlation between consumption by the experienced bird and the consumption of red food by the observer which suggested that this effect was not due to a learned aversion. Th e third experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of previo us experience on the behaviour of observers feeding in the presence of demonstrators eating red food or quinine-treated red food. The observ ers had either 'good' (untreated red food) or 'bad' (quinine-treated r ed food) experience before observation trials. It was found that only the previous good or bad experience of the observers affected consumpt ion and there was no difference based on the feeding experiences of th e demonstrators. These results are discussed in relation to the opport unities for, and types of, social learning of food preferences that ma y occur in house sparrow flocks.