Adaptive management of body mass by Siberian jays
A profusion of theoretical and empirical studies has successfully explored the issue of adaptive management of body mass by small birds threatened with both starvation and predation. In addition to diurnal body mass cycles, body mass tends to increase with either poorer mean conditions or more variable conditions, such as those often experienced during winter. […]
Foraging dynamics in Steller’s jays: size and viability of cacheable food items
Several species of birds and mammals cache food items, which in harsh conditions may translate into improved survival or reproductive success. Animals may benefit from evaluating the quality of cache items in terms of size, nutrition and storage viability. Steller’s jays, Cyanocitta stelleri, which cache seeds for later consumption, may handle multiple food items with […]