The development of anti-predator responses in grey partridges and common pheasants.

Abstract

Recent studies (e.g. Robertson 1988) have implied that hand-reared game birds are very vulnerable to predation immediately after they have been released. Poor development of predator avoidance behaviour during captive rearing could be partly to blame. This problem was investigated in grey partridges Perdix perdix and common pheasants Phasianus colchicus. Game birds reared with their parents developed more organised anti-predator behaviour than those reared without parents. Birds reared with a domestic hen foster parent developed different responses to predators from those reared with parents of their own species. The results suggested parental involvement in the development of typical anti-predator responses in game bird chicks. This has important consequences for both re-introduction programmes and the release of game birds for sport.