title: Behavioural responses to olfactory cues in carrion crows.
abstract: Until recently, the use of olfactory signals in birds has been largely ignored, despite the fact that birds do possess a fully functioning olfactory system and have been shown to use odours in social and foraging tasks, predator detection and orientation. The present study investigates whether carrion crows (Corvus corone corone), a bird species living in complex social societies, respond behaviourally to olfactory cues of conspecifics. During our experiment, carrion crows were observed less often close to the conspecific scent compared to a control side. Because conspecific scent was extracted during handling, a stressful procedure for birds, we interpreted the general avoidance of the 'scent' side as disfavour against a stressed conspecific. However, males, unlike females, showed less avoidance towards the scent of a familiar individual compared to an unfamiliar one, which might reflect a stronger interest in the information conveyed and/or willingness to provide social support.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencias Agro-Forestales, University of Valladolid, Spain. Electronic address: claudia.wascher@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Claudia A F
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wascher
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, Hartsville, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Heiss
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencias Agro-Forestales, University of Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baglione
authors.affiliation: Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Campus de Mieres, University of Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Canestrari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D046368:Crows / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D009812:Odorants; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Carrion crows; Chemical communication; Corvus corone corone; Olfaction