1. Why preen others? Predictors of allopreening in parrots and corvids and comparisons to grooming in great apes
- Author
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Roger Mundry, Palmyre H. Boucherie, Martina Schiestl, Ira G. Federspiel, Matjaž Hegedič, Jean‐Pascal Guéry, Auguste Marie Philippa von Bayern, Amanda M. Seed, Megan L. Lambert, Nathan J. Emery, Birgit Szabo, Katie E. Slocombe, Thomas Bugnyar, Alex H. Taylor, Jayden O. van Horik, Lisa Horn, Valérie Dufour, Alejandra Morales Picard, Michelle A. Rodrigues, Emily R. Boeving, Jorg J. M. Massen, Raoul Schwing, Alice M. I. Auersperg, Eithne Kavanagh, Gyula K. Gajdon, NYU Department of Psychology [New-York University], New York University [New York] (NYU), NYU System (NYU)-NYU System (NYU), Montgomery College, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna [Vienna]-University of Vienna [Vienna]-Medical University Vienna, University of Vienna [Vienna]-University of Vienna [Vienna], Platform Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, University of Veterinary Medicine [Vienna] (Vetmeduni), Department of Psychology, Florida International University [Miami] (FIU), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna [Vienna], Physiologie de la reproduction et des comportements [Nouzilly] (PRC), Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation [Saumur]-Université de Tours-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), University of Cambridge [UK] (CAM), Vallée des Singes Primate Park, Animal Ecology Group, Utrecht University [Utrecht], The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [Urbana], University of Illinois System-University of Illinois System, School of Psychology, University of Auckland [Auckland], Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, University of Exeter, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews [Scotland], University of York [York, UK], Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation [Saumur]-Université de Tours (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Macquarie University [Sydney], University of St Andrews. ‘Living Links to Human Evolution’ Research Centre, University of St Andrews. Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, University of St Andrews. Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences, University of St Andrews. School of Psychology and Neuroscience, Sub Animal Ecology, and Animal Ecology
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0106 biological sciences ,Primates ,BF Psychology ,Corvids ,Evolution ,primates ,NDAS ,Zoology ,BF ,allogrooming ,Biology ,affiliative relationships ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,social bonds ,[SCCO]Cognitive science ,Parrots ,Behavior and Systematics ,Taverne ,Social grooming ,Agonistic behaviour ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,Allopreening ,corvids ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Allogrooming ,Affiliative relationships ,Ecology ,[SDV.NEU.PC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Psychology and behavior ,[SDV.BA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology ,05 social sciences ,allopreening ,Social bonds ,570 Life sciences ,biology ,590 Animals (Zoology) ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Cooperative behavior ,parrots ,Pan Species - Abstract
International audience; Allogrooming in primates serves not only a hygienic function, but also plays a crucial role in maintaining strong affiliative bonds between group members, which in turn, underpin the emergence of cooperative behavior. In contrast, although allopreening occurs in many avian species, we know little about its social functions. Our study addresses this issue by investigating allopreening in a broad comparative data set including six corvid and nine parrot species. We assessed whether rates of allopreening initiations, proportion of time spent allopreening, and the number of grooming partners in captive group-housed birds were comparable to patterns observed in captive chimpanzees and bonobos. While parrots and corvids were found to have similar rates of social grooming to bonobos and chimpanzees, Pan species dedicated significantly more time to social grooming. Animals in larger groups had more grooming partners, but when controlling for the number of potential partners, birds tended to have fewer grooming interaction partners than Pan species. We then investigated whether allopreening in parrots and corvids was predicted by behavioral markers of affiliative social bonds (close physical proximity, active feeding, and low levels of agonistic behavior). Results revealed that providing allopreening to a partner was significantly predicted by often being in close proximity, but not engagement in active feeding or agonistic behavior. We examined the region allopreened in a subset of species and found that preening a partner's head was predicted by both close physical proximity and active feeding, while body allopreening was only predicted by close physical proximity. Head preening may confer more hygienic benefits to recipients, and thus, may be more selectively provided to valued partners. Results support the hypothesis that allopreening in corvids and parrots helps maintain social bonds with an individual's most important social partners, showing some similarities to allogrooming in primates.
- Published
- 2020
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