HUNGER-DEPENDENCY OF HIDING BEHAVIOR AFTER A PREDATOR ATTACK IN DOMINANT AND SUBORDINATE WILLOW TITS

We studied rank-specificity of predation risk taking in captive Willow Tits Parus montanus. Level of risk taking was expressed by duration o f hiding after a simulated predator attack. By manipulating available food, we separated the effects of hunger and other rank associated fac tors on accepted predation risk. As expected, hungry birds took more r isks than satiated ones. When both the dominants and the subordinates were hungry or satiated, no rank-related differences existed in the du ration of hiding. When the dominants had consumed more food than the s ubordinates, they also hid longer. Similarly, the subordinates hid lon ger when they were satiated and dominants hungry. We conclude that inc autiousness of subordinates, reported earlier with regard to variety o f antipredatory behaviours of flocking birds, probably reflects a stra tegy to cope with high risk of starvation resulting from restricted ac cess to food.