Potier Simon, Duriez Olivier, Célérier Aurélie, Liegeois Jean-Louis, Bonadonna Francesco
CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier-EPHE-1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362, Lund, Sweden.
Anim Cogn. 2019 Jan;22(1):49-59. doi: 10.1007/s10071-018-1220-0. Epub 2018 Oct 26.
Raptors are usually considered to be mainly visually dependent, and the use of other sensory modalities has rarely been studied in these birds. Here, we investigated experimentally which senses (vision and/or olfaction) Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) and Southern caracaras (Caracara plancus) use to find hidden food. First, two identical stainless-steel perforated balls, one containing a putrefied piece of meat and the other an odorless control, were presented to birds in binary choice experiments. Both species interacted more with the smelling ball than with the control, suggesting that they were attracted by the odor of the hidden meat. In a second experiment, individuals were accustomed to eat in one specifically colored ball (blue or green). In the test phase, the meat was hidden in the opposite color with respect to the one each bird had become accustomed to. Vultures still interacted more with the smelly ball disregarding the color, while caracaras interacted equally with the two balls. The prevalence of olfaction in Turkey vultures may partly explain why they are the first raptors to find carcasses in tropical forests. In contrast, caracaras forage on the ground opportunistically, a strategy where both olfaction and sight may be involved. Our experiments suggest that both species are able to use olfactory cues for foraging. However, olfaction could be the predominant sense in Turkey vultures while olfaction and sight could play an equivalent role in Southern caracaras.
猛禽通常被认为主要依赖视觉，而对这些鸟类其他感官方式的使用很少被研究。在这里，我们通过实验研究了土耳其兀鹰（红头美洲鹫）和南方凤头卡拉鹰利用哪些感官（视觉和/或嗅觉）来寻找隐藏的食物。首先，在二元选择实验中，向鸟类展示了两个相同的不锈钢穿孔球，一个装有一块腐肉，另一个是无气味的对照物。这两个物种与有气味的球的互动都比与对照物更多，这表明它们被隐藏肉类的气味所吸引。在第二个实验中，让个体习惯于在一个特定颜色的球（蓝色或绿色）中进食。在测试阶段，将肉藏在与每只鸟习惯的颜色相反的颜色的球中。兀鹰仍然更多地与有气味的球互动，而不考虑颜色，而凤头卡拉鹰与两个球的互动相同。土耳其兀鹰嗅觉的普遍性可能部分解释了为什么它们是热带森林中第一批发现尸体的猛禽。相比之下，凤头卡拉鹰在地面上机会性觅食，这种策略可能涉及嗅觉和视觉。我们的实验表明，这两个物种都能够利用嗅觉线索进行觅食。然而，嗅觉可能是土耳其兀鹰的主要感官，而嗅觉和视觉在南方凤头卡拉鹰中可能发挥同等作用。
