10.5061/DRYAD.M7J4Q
Davidson, Gabrielle L.
University College Cork
Clayton, Nicola S.
University of Cambridge
Thornton, Alex
University of Exeter
Data from: Salient eyes deter conspecific nest intruders in wild jackdaws
(Corvus monedula)
Dryad
dataset
2015
gaze aversion
nest defence
jackdaw
2013
Corvus monedula
signal
eye colouration
2015-01-10T00:00:00Z
2015-01-10T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2013.1077
10562 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Animals often respond fearfully when encountering eyes or eye-like shapes.
Although gaze aversion has been documented in mammals when avoiding
group-member conflict, the importance of eye coloration during
interactions between conspecifics has yet to be examined in non-primate
species. Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) have near-white irides, which are
conspicuous against their dark feathers and visible when seen from outside
the cavities where they nest. Because jackdaws compete for nest sites,
their conspicuous eyes may act as a warning signal to indicate that a nest
is occupied and deter intrusions by conspecifics. We tested whether
jackdaws’ pale irides serve as a deterrent to prospecting conspecifics by
comparing prospectors’ behaviour towards nest-boxes displaying images with
bright eyes (BEs) only, a jackdaw face with natural BEs, or a jackdaw face
with dark eyes. The jackdaw face with BEs was most effective in deterring
birds from making contact with nest-boxes, whereas both BE conditions
reduced the amount of time jackdaws spent in proximity to the image. We
suggest BEs in jackdaws may function to prevent conspecific competitors
from approaching occupied nest sites.
supplementaryData_jackdawVisitstoNestBoxesNumber of approaches to nest
boxes and duration on perches
Cambridgeshire