Positive encounters with people make sub-Antarctic birds seek novelty

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-08-07 09:01

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Birds that have been offered food by humans are more likely to approach humans and explore new objects, according to an international study of 22 wild brown skuas in the sub-Antarctic. Half of the birds had participated in food-rewarded experiments before, and were more likely to approach humans than those who bred at human-free sites. All skuas in the first group pecked at new objects they were shown, and sooner, without showing a preference for a plastic fish over a yellow glove or a slice of cake. The authors say food-related interaction with humans increases the skuas' attraction to humans and exploration of novel objects, which could be a risk to their survival.