Starlings can categorize symmetry differences in dot displays

The American Naturalist
J P Swaddle, S Pruett-Jones

Abstract

Fluctuating asymmetry is an estimate of developmental stability and, in some cases, the asymmetry of morphological traits can reflect aspects of individual fitness. As asymmetry can be a marker for fitness, it has been proposed that organisms could use morphological asymmetry as a direct visual cue during inter- and intraspecific encounters. Despite some experimental evidence to support this prediction, the perceptual abilities of animals to detect and respond to symmetry differences have been largely overlooked. Studying the ability of animals to perceive symmetry and factors that affect this ability are crucial to assessing whether fluctuating asymmetry could be used as a visual cue in nature. In this study, we investigated the ability of wild-caught European starlings Sturnus vulgaris to learn to discriminate symmetry from asymmetry in random dot patterns through operant learning experiments. The birds did not possess a spontaneous preference for either symmetry or asymmetry. The birds learned a symmetry preference, although the learning process took longer than that previously reported for pigeons Columba livia and was more error prone. After being trained to discriminate symmetry differences in random dot patterns, birds s...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 30, 2005·Behavioural Processes·Robert G CookDaniel I Brooks
Aug 15, 2014·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Muhammad A J Qadri, Robert G Cook
Apr 29, 2016·PloS One·Giulia RamponeMarco Bertamini
Nov 10, 2017·PloS One·Juan D DeliusJennifer M Lee
Aug 13, 2004·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Candy Rowe, John Skelhorn
Mar 10, 2007·Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior·John P Swaddle, Charles W Johnson
Jan 10, 2017·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Christophe Bossens, Hans P Op de Beeck
Jul 20, 2019·Animal Cognition·Muhammad A J Qadri, Robert G Cook

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