Hans Winkler¹ & Bernd Leisler²

1Konrad Lorenz-Institute für Vergleichende Verhaltensforschung, Savoyenstrasse 1A, A-1160 Wien, Austria; MPI Verhaltensphysiologie, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315, FRG, Austria, e-mail h.winkler@klivv.oeaw.ac.at; ²MPIV Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Am Obstberg, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany, e-mail leisler@vowa.mpi-seewiesen.mpg.de

Winkler, H. & Leisler, B. 1999. Exploratory behaviour in birds. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban: 867. Johannesburg: BirdLife South Africa.

Birds forage rather efficiently in a great variety of environments, choose partners to mate and copulate with and base many of these decisions on past experience. For this reason, birds constantly need adequate information. Active search for information is one important way to build up and to update the database for strategic decisions. Since environments and the ways of coping with them differ widely among birds, one can expect that there are also specialisations in the way birds explore their surroundings. Birds are an ideal group in which to look for adaptations in exploratory behaviour, because of the diversity of life styles they adopt and the many habitats they live in. The main focus of the symposium will be on the function of exploratory behaviour, but questions of mechanisms and consequences for animal welfare will be treated as well. The relation between neophobia and ecological plasticity will be addressed, as well as individual strategies of coping and exploration within populations. Particular emphasis will be given on the question why particular life styles or certain environments, like for instance, islands seem to promote curiosity. Since birds are obviously exploratory and designed for dealing with complex situations, the role of a rich environment for their welfare must be discussed as well.