Meeting Abstract
The evolution and extent of inter and intraspecific social learning and social networks is a hot topic in studies of animal behavior. In this study, we examine how the feeding behaviors of individuals may transmit information both within and across species. Specifically, we used computer-automated bird feeders to observe the frustration and enthusiasm-related behaviors displayed by foraging feeder species when they were denied access to a preferred food source and correlated those with how individuals in the surrounding area might observe and use these behaviors as a means of assessing the food source for themselves. We also examine the prioritization, memory, and associative learning capability of these foragers in order to broaden our understanding of how species adapt and social learning evolves within a changing environment.
