AVOIDANCE OF DYED FOOD BY THE NORTHERN BOBWHITE

Since certain colors are aversive to birds, it might be possible to us e dyes to prevent birds from consuming agricultural seeds and pesticid e granules. The effectiveness of eight dyes in repelling food consumpt ion in a gamebird, the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), was th erefore evaluated. Forty adult birds were tested using a two-cup proce dure to measure avoidance of dyed feed relative to undyed feed for 5 d ays. Pairs of feeds treated with different dyes were also tested to de termine their relative repellency. Bobwhite hens avoided dyed feed sig nificantly more than did bobwhite cocks. Hens avoided feed dyed certai n shades of red, orange, blue and blue-green, whereas cocks did not av oid feed of any color. Hens became largely habituated to food dyed col ors other than red or orange within 5 days, suggesting that the initia l avoidance was caused by neophobia. The more persistent avoidance of red and orange dyes may be evidence of unlearned aversions by bobwhite s to the warning colors found in toxic prey. While bright red or orang e dyes thus appear to be aversive to bobwhite hens, the lack of avoida nce of these colors by cocks may limit their usefulness as avian feedi ng repellents.