Date of Award

Spring 2004

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Terms of Use

© 2004 Elizabeth C. Leininger. All rights reserved. Access to this work is restricted to users within the Swarthmore College network and may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. Sharing with users outside of the Swarthmore College network is expressly prohibited. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Biology Department

First Advisor

Arla Hile

Second Advisor

Julie Hagelin

Third Advisor

Sara Hiebert Burch

Abstract

Conspecific alarm odors exist in many vertebrate and invertebrate taxa, but surprisingly few studies have focused on alarm odors in birds. Wild European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) produce a pungent odor when alarmed; this odor is thought to be a putative alarm odor. I tested whether fecal odor of alarmed European starlings produced behavioral or physiological responses indicative of distress in conspecifics. I videotaped each of 18 focal birds while it was exposed to three stimuli: (1) fecal odor from an alarmed conspecific, (2) fecal odor from a non-alarmed conspecific, and (3) filtered air. Fecal samples of focal birds were collected before and after exposure to each treatment, and assayed for fecal corticosterone (CORT), a primary avian glucocorticoid hormone. Gaping, a common distress behavior in birds, occurred for a significantly longer duration when the birds were exposed to odor from an alarmed conspecific, than when they were exposed to odor of a non-alarmed conspecific. Gaping also occurred for a significantly longer duration when the birds were exposed to filtered air, than when they were exposed to the odor of a non-alarmed conspecific. There was no significant effect of odor treatment on other measured behaviors such as hopping, feather fluffing, and preening. There was no effect of odor treatment on the net increase of fecal CORT in the starlings. This study presents some of the first behavioral data to suggest starlings may be capable of detecting alarm through conspecific odors.

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