Individual variation in feeding behavior and mechanics in songbirds.

Sequences of precisely controlled, fast, three-dimensional movements of the upper beak and lower beak are used by granivorous songbirds to pick up, transport, reposition, crack, and dehusk seeds. The characteristics of these movement and the techniques that are involved, however, are currently unknown. The goal of this project is to quantify the feeding kinematics in a large number of individuals from a laboratory population of Canaries, Serinus canaria, to analyse the proximate (mechanical) causes of successful and fast seed processing, as well as to link individual variation to the effects of life-history traits such as age, sex, relatedness, seed type preference. This will provide us with fundamental insights that are important to identify morphological and mechanical adaptations to seed-eating performance in songbirds.

Keywords:FEEDING KINEMATICS, BEHAVIOURAL BIOLOGY, BIRDS

Disciplines:Behavioural biology, System and whole body biomechanics