title: Socially Driven Consistent Behavioural Differences during Development in Common Ravens and Carrion Crows.
abstract: Consistent individual differences in behaviour, or 'personality', are likely to be influenced by development, social context, and species ecology, though few comparative, longitudinal studies exist. Here, we investigated the role of development and social context on personality variation in two identically reared, social corvids: common ravens and carrion crows. We repeatedly presented subjects with a variety of novel food and objects, while alone and in a primarily sibling subgroup, from fledging to sub-adulthood. We predicted that consistent individual differences would emerge later in development, and that conspecific presence would facilitate behavioural similarities. In contrast to our predictions, we found that individuals of both species were highly inconsistent in their behavioural responses throughout the development period. In line with our predictions, though in the ravens only, conspecific presence promoted behavioural similarities as individuals were strongly shaped by their subgroup, and it is likely that these effects were driven by social context rather than relatedness. We discuss these findings in relation to developmental steps and the role of social relations in these species. Overall, our findings highlight that these two species are highly adaptable in their behaviour, and the ravens in particular are strongly influenced by their social environment, which may facilitate cooperation and social learning.
authors: Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Bad Vöslau, Austria.
authors: Rachael
authors: R
authors: Miller
authors: Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Kate L
authors: KL
authors: Laskowski
authors: Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Bad Vöslau, Austria.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Schiestl
authors: Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Bad Vöslau, Austria.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Bugnyar
authors: Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Schwab
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D046368:Crows / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012919:Social Behavior; D013045:Species Specificity