More social birds are more adventurous feeders, study finds

A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford has found that birds that are more social are more likely to use novel sources of food. The findings have been published in iScience.

In nature, feeding in groups has various advantages—such as for spotting predators and finding the best places to eat—but hanging around with others also comes with the drawback of increased competition for food resources. One way that sociable individuals could reduce competition is by broadening their diets to include new types of food.

For the first time, researchers have now demonstrated a direct link between individual birds’ position within their ‘social network’ and their likelihood to exploit novel food sources.