Social diffusion of new foraging techniques in the Southern ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri)

Abstract

Social learning during foraging has been found in a wide range of animals, including numerous bird species. Still, the mechanisms underlying this cognitive capacity remain largely unstudied and the use of divergent methods limits our understanding of their taxonomic distribution. Using an ecologically relevant design, the open diffusion experiment, we tested whether 11 Southern ground-hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri) were able to show imitation on the two-action task. Three experimental groups were created. In the slide and pull group, subjects (‘observers’) watched a trained conspecific (‘demonstrator’) opening a box using a specific technique. Naïve individuals from the control group, however, did not receive a social demonstration. All birds of the slide and pull group succeeded in opening the box, whereas all subjects of the control group failed the task. We found consistent inter-individual differences among some observers, with only two birds (one in each group) using the same technique and part of the box contacted by the demonstrator. Our results suggest that at least fine-tune enhancement underlies behavioural diffusion in this novel model species, which provides new research opportunities with direct implications for conservation.