“Australian Magpies (Gymnorhina Tibicen) Cooperate to Remove Tracking Devices”, 2022-02-01 ():
[author commentary] Recent advances in tracking technology have enabled devices such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) loggers to be used on a wide variety of birds. Although there are established ethical considerations to these processes, different species may react differently to particular devices and attachments. Thus, pilot studies are still of utmost importance in this field.
Here, we describe one such study trialing a novel harness design for GPS tracking devices on Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen).
Despite previous testing demonstrating the strength and durability of the harness, devices were removed within minutes to hours of initial fitting. Notably, removal was observed to involve one bird snapping another bird’s harness at the only weak point, such that the tracker was released.
This behavior demonstrates both cooperation and a moderate level of problem solving, providing potential further evidence of the cognitive abilities of this species. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the conspecific removal of GPS trackers, and should be considered when planning future tracking studies especially on highly social species.
…Prosocial behavior in Australian Magpies: Research into prosocial behavior in Australian Magpies is limited, so therefore it is not known how common it might be or how it may manifest in this species. The GPS trackers might have presented a challenge similar to ectoparasitism, initiating an allopreening response by either nesting adults or helper individuals within the group. Although stimulus-driven allopreening because of the presence of parasites is not well understood in birds, Rock Doves (Columba livia) appear not to increase allopreening rates with increases in ectoparasite levels ( et al 2020). The prosocial behavior response that we observed in Magpies could also have been initiated by the conspecific because of increased stress levels (2017). Regardless of the stimulus that prompted the helping behavior, both hypotheses on collaboration and prosocial behavior (eg. the adaptive cognition hypothesis and the social intelligence hypothesis) could be supported here ( et al 2019).
Rescue behavior is a specific form of cooperative behavior that involves a helper working to free another individual in distress, with no obvious direct benefit to the rescuing individual (2010). Although rescue behavior has most commonly been described in ants (Formicidae), there are rare cases in the literature of rescuing in birds (2010). For example, Seychelles Warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) have been observed removing sticky ‘bird-catcher tree’ (Pisonia grandis) seeds from the feathers of other individuals (2017), a very similar behavior to what we have described here. It is possible that what we have observed is the first documented case of rescue behavior in Australian Magpies.