Enhanced social learning between siblings in common ravens, Corvus corax
It has been suggested that social dynamics affect social learning but empirical support for this idea is scarce. Here we show that affiliate relationships among kin indeed enhance the performance of common ravens, Corvus corax, in a social learning task. Via daily behavioural protocols we first monitored social dynamics in our group of captive young […]
Who wants food? Individual characteristics in raven yells
Discriminating between different individuals is considered as prerequisite for any forms of social knowledge. In birds, discriminating between conspecifics based on individual characteristics has been tested mainly in the auditory domain with territorial calls and songs for neighbour and kin discrimination but little is known about discriminating between signallers in food calls. Ravens utilize a […]
Social bonds and rank acquisition in raven nonbreeder aggregations
Complex social life has been characterized as cognitively challenging and recently, social relationships such as long-term social bonds and alliances have been identified as key elements for brain evolution. Whereas good evidence is available to support the link between social relations and cognition in mammals, it remains unsatisfying for birds. Here we investigated the role […]
Loner or socializer? Ravens’ adrenocortical response to individual separation depends on social integration
Non-breeding common ravens (Corvus corax) live in complex social groups with a high degree of fission–fusion dynamics. They form valuable relationships and alliances with some conspecifics, while taking coordinated action against others. In ravens, affiliates reconcile their conflicts, console each other after conflicts with a third party, and provide each other with social support — […]