Not all animals are the same. Even within a species, some are bolder and better at solving problems than others. We have found this to be true in the case of the critically endangered Bali myna, a rare bird found only on the island of Bali in Indonesia.
Fewer than 50 adult Bali mynas remain in their native dry forest and savannah on the island. Conservationists are trying, with mixed results, to reintroduce more birds to boost the wild population.
Understanding how each animal perceives, processes, stores and acts on information (what scientists describe as “cognition”) could determine how successful these efforts are. In fact, the future of many endangered species could depend on it.
These birds will need to navigate villages, farms and other human-dominated landscapes and spot food and good nesting sites while avoiding a range of predators and other hazards. Their mission is to survive, thrive and breed successfully.
Our research has begun by identifying the characteristics that make individual Bali mynas best suited for this task, helping conservationists select the best candidates for release into the wild.
We tested how 22 Bali mynas in three UK zoos reacted to jelly, a food they had never seen before, and foreign objects placed next to familiar foods that are part of their daily diet, including fruits and insects.
We also gauged each bird’s ability to solve problems, such as lifting a lid or pulling a string to reach hidden worms. How each bird behaved indicated which were the most adaptable and most likely to succeed in navigating new environments.
We found that birds took longer to touch familiar foods when there was something they had never seen before. This fear of novelty was more pronounced in adult birds than in juveniles, but the birds were more likely to be around novel foods and objects when other species such as white-spotted laughingthrushes or lilac-breasted rollers were in their aviaries, suggesting that they may experience fear. vanquish. when we compete for food.
Although individual birds behaved differently from each other, they consistently responded to different types of unfamiliar foods and objects. It was the bolder birds that solved each new problem-solving task more quickly, suggesting that they may also be more adaptable once released.
How this benefits conservation
Many animal species are threatened with extinction due to habitat destruction, poaching and pollution, among other things. Returning species to environments they once inhabited can help reverse these losses.
But such reintroductions often fail, as many animals raised in captivity struggle to find food, adapt to changing habitats, recognize predators and reproduce. In fact, 30 percent of reintroductions have run into problems due to the behavior of the animals themselves.
How an animal makes a decision, such as where to build a nest, how easily it adapts its behavior to new circumstances, and how it learns, including from other animals (both within and outside its own species), are all important criteria for judging how promising each for leading the return of their species to the wild.
We learned which Bali mynas are most likely to be best suited for release: usually the bolder or more cautious birds, suggesting two different but ultimately successful survival strategies.
But this kind of research can also look at how each animal behaves once in the wild, to better prepare animals for survival once released. Some individuals respond more flexibly to new or changed environments than others.
For example, bolder captive swift foxes are less likely to survive after release than more cautious foxes, possibly because they are less likely to evade predators, other competitive animals, or risky items left by humans, such as traps.
These insights can help conservationists train animals to recognize and respond appropriately to threats such as predators and to find safe food or breeding grounds. Research has shown that pre-release training of ‘Alalā (Hawaiian crows, which are categorized as extinct in the wild) helps the birds learn what to do if they encounter a predator such as the Hawaiian hawk in a forest.
Being able to measure the impact of these efforts can tell us if they improve survival rates. So far, the evidence is promising.
Work with juvenile black-tailed prairie dogs showed that using experienced adults in predator training improved their long-term survival after release.
Limits to what animals can adapt to
The race to reintroduce species is accelerating. Rapid changes in the way land is used, for example from forest to farmland or suburban neighborhoods, overshadow the growth of natural habitats.
It is important to understand how different animals respond to pressures such as urbanization and apply this to conservation. But there are limits to what even the most adaptable animals can overcome, and certain pressures diminish beneficial traits like being a quick learner.
Research on the invasive common myna in Australia showed that birds living in towns and cities were more opportunistic foragers and less fearful of predators, as well as solving simple problems faster than those in rural areas.
But urban noise pollution, such as the sound of traffic, has been found to impair learning and memory, as well as sleep in rodents and Australian magpies.
By joining forces to combine efforts and insights in research, conservation and education, people in different fields can work together to improve the chances of protecting the natural world.
Rachael Miller (Harrison), lecturer in biology and animal behavior, Anglia Ruskin University; Elias Garcia-Pelegrin, assistant professor of comparative cognition and evolutionary psychology, National University of Singapore; and Stuart Marsden, professor of conservation ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
