Description
In social species with structured groups, individual variations in the number and nature of social relationships may result in varying degrees of social integration . An individual’s ability to successfully integrate may reflect differences in social competence, the development of which can be affected by early life social opportunities. Adult common ravens defend large territories, whereas juveniles, sub-adults, and non-territorial adults form dynamic non-breeder flocks structured by dominance and social bonds. Little is known about how juveniles leaving their family units overcome the challenge of socially integrating into new groups with potentially unknown conspecifics. Here we examine whether the early life social experience plays a key role in the social integration of juvenile ravens. As part of a long-term project from 2017-2022, juveniles raised in captivity in small or large families, were released into free flight to join a local non-breeder flock. Focussing on the period after release, we use movement data from the GPS-tagged wild-caught and captive-bred individuals to look at their presence at known sites used by the non-breeders, the overlap between their home ranges, and their roosting proximity to others. I will discuss the results from this study examining the patterns across age-class, sex, origin, and family size.| Period | 29 Sept 2024 → 4 Oct 2024 |
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| Event title | International Society for Behavioral Ecology Congress 2024 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Melbourne, AustraliaShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |