Olfactory conditioning experiments in a food-searching passerine bird in semi-natural conditions

Because passerine birds have a very small relative olfactory bulb size, they have been considered to have weak olfactory capacities for decades. Recent investigations however suggest that breeding female blue tits ( Parus caeruleus) are sensitive to lavender odour in the reproductive context of buil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioural processes 2005-11, Vol.70 (3), p.264-270
Main Authors: Mennerat, A., Bonadonna, F., Perret, P., Lambrechts, M.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal biology
Animal ethology
Animals
Appetitive Behavior
Association Learning
Aves
Biodiversity and Ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Blue tit
Choice Behavior
Conditioning
Conditioning, Classical
Conditioning, Operant
Discrimination Learning
Environmental Sciences
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lavandula
Life Sciences
Male
Nesting Behavior
Olfaction
Parus caeruleus
Passerine
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Sensory Thresholds
Sex Factors
Smell
Social Environment
Sparrows
Vertebrata
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Summary:Because passerine birds have a very small relative olfactory bulb size, they have been considered to have weak olfactory capacities for decades. Recent investigations however suggest that breeding female blue tits ( Parus caeruleus) are sensitive to lavender odour in the reproductive context of building and maintaining the nest. Here, we present results of an olfactory conditioning experiment in blue tits held in semi-natural conditions during the breeding season. We show that captive male blue tits, trained to associate lavender odour with a food reward, are more attracted to an empty feeder box emitting lavender odour than an odourless empty feeder box. Females did not distinguish significantly between empty feeders with and without lavender odour during the test phase, although they responded positively at the end of the training phase. These results suggest that male blue tits can use olfaction in a context not related to nest building. Additional experiments will be required to better understand the observed sex differences in response to the experimental set up, and in what context free-ranging individuals use olfaction.
ISSN:0376-6357
1872-8308
DOI:10.1016/j.beproc.2005.07.005