Examining the development of individual recognition in a burrow-nesting procellariiform, the Leach's storm-petrel

Abstract

SUMMARYBurrow-nesting petrels use their well-developed sense of smell for foraging, homing to their nest, and mate recognition. The chicks of burrow-nesting petrels can apparently learn odours associated with prey while still in the nest, but the development of individual-specific odour recognition is less well understood. We used a simple two-choice test to determine whether 4-to 6-week-old chicks of a small, burrow-nesting species, the Leachʼs storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), prefer the scent of their own nest material to (1) the scent of similar organic material collected from the colony or (2) the scent of a conspecificʼs nest material. Results suggest that chicks clearly preferred the scent of their own nest material to that of similar organic material collected from the colony (96%; N=24; binomial test, P<0.001). Results further suggested that birds preferred the scent of their own nest material to that of a conspecific, though the preference was statistically less robust (67%; N=39; binomial test, P=0.05). Because Leachʼs storm-petrel chicks do not normally leave their burrow prior to fledging, an ability to recognise individual or nest-specific odours is not likely to be used for homing but instead may be linked to the development of individual recognition in different contexts.

Sensory ecology on the high seas: the odor world of the procellariiform seabirds

“…Due to heavy predation in colonies, stormpetrel chicks are much more likely to be confined to their burrow until they are ready to fledge. This more typical situation suggested to us that learning to recognize personal scents may be adaptive to the development of kin recognition in the context of both dispersal and mate choice (O'Dwyer et al, 2008).…”

“…Using simple choice tests, our results showed that Leach's storm-petrel chicks could recognize petrel-scented nest material, and could easily distinguish scents associated with their own nest material from scents associated with a conspecific's nest material. Given that an ability to recognize individual odor is not adaptive for homing at this life stage, these data suggest that the development of individual-specific odor recognition may serve other functions (O'Dwyer et al, 2008).…”

Development of the Visual System in a Burrow-Nesting Seabird: Leach's Storm Petrel

“…At one end of the arena, a black plastic cup (lower diameter 11 cm, upper diameter 8 cm, height 8 cm) was placed upside down on a black cardboard disk of the same diameter as the cup. It had a cut of a semicircular shape (7.5 cm wide, 7 cm high) imitating a dark burrow entrance [O'Dwyer et al, 2008]. From the chick's starting position, this entrance subtended ∼35 degrees of visual angle.…”

“…For example, because functioning eyes are energetically costly [Moran et al, 2015], the development of the visual system might be delayed. A delay could reflect a trade-off between the use of vision and olfaction, as it is known that Leach's storm petrel chicks can relocate the burrow entrance by olfaction shortly after hatching [O'Dwyer et al, 2008]. Even though the eyes of the Leach's storm petrel chicks open before the end of the 2nd week after hatching [Ricklefs et al, 1980], when the chicks are not very mobile and still at least 1 month from leaving the burrow to fledge, nothing is known about their visual capabilities at this age.…”

Smelling Out Predators is Innate in Birds

“…At the intra-specific level, they are known to emit chemical compounds, which are important in several aspects of avian life histories (Caro & Balthazart 2010). For example, birds can recognize their nest using chemical cues (Mínguez 1997, O'Dwyer et al 2008, Bonadonna & Bretagnolle 2002, Bonadonna et al 2003a,b, 2004, de León et al 2003, Caspers & Krause 2011 and they are able to discriminate the scent of their partners from the scent of other conspecifics (Bonadonna & Nevitt 2004, Jouventin et al 2007. Therefore, chemical cues may play a role in social behaviour (Hagelin 2007).…”