Tracking Changes of Hidden Food: Spatial Pattern Learning in Two Macaw Species

Abstract

Food availability may vary spatially and temporally within an environment. Efficiency in locating alternative food sources using spatial information (e.g., distribution patterns) may vary according to a species’ diet and habitat specialisation. Hypothetically, more generalist species would learn faster than more specialist species due to being more explorative when changes occur. We tested this hypothesis in two closely related macaw species, differing in their degree of diet and habitat specialisation; the more generalist Great Green Macaw and the more specialist Blue-throated Macaw. We examined their spatial pattern learning performance under predictable temporal and spatial change, using a ‘poke box’ that contained hidden food placed within wells. Each week, the rewarded wells formed two patterns (A and B), which were changed on a mid-week schedule. We found that the two patterns varied in their difficulty. We also found that the more generalist Great Green Macaws took fewer trials to learn the easier pattern and made more mean correct responses in the difficult pattern than the more specialist Blue-throated Macaws, thus supporting our hypothesis. The better learning performance of the Great Green Macaws may be explained by more exploration and trading-off accuracy for speed. These results suggest how variation in diet and habitat specialisation may relate to a species’ ability to adapt to spatial variation in food availability.

Recent developments in parrot cognition: a quadrennial update

“…One recent study examined whether parrots could learn and recall spatial patterns over a relatively short duration (tested daily; Chow et al 2021 ) while a second study investigated food aversion over longer periods of time (up to 1 year; McLean et al 2022 ).…”

“…Blue-throated macaws and great green macaws were tested in a spatial search pattern task (Chow et al 2021 ). Subjects were required to open wells from a so-called ‘poke-box’, which consisted of 12 wells arranged in a grid.…”

“…A possible explanation can be found in the different ecological backgrounds of the otherwise closely related species: Great green macaws are more generalist foragers, whereas blue-throated macaws have a more specialized feeding ecology. Generalist species may profit more from explorative behavior in order to adjust to changes faster, whereas more specialized forager may profit from fast application of foraging skills (Chow et al 2021 ).…”