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Behavioral Ecology Vol. 10 No. 3: 213-219
© 1999 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Avian prey-dropping behavior. I. The effects of prey characteristics and prey loss

Paul V. Switzera and Daniel A. Cristolb

a Department of Zoology, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920, USA b Department of Biology, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, USA

Address correspondence to D. A. Cristol. E-mail: dacrifs{at}facstaff.wm.edu

Numerous species of birds break hard-shelled prey items by dropping them from a height. This intriguing prey-extraction method provides an excellent opportunity for studying foraging behavior because a single, easily measurable quantity—height of drop—may be influenced by a wide variety of identifiable characteristics of the prey (e.g., breakability, weight) and social environment (e.g., alone or in the presence of kleptoparasites). Using a dynamic, state variable modeling approach, this paper presents the first theoretical framework for avian prey-dropping systems that incorporates the diversity of prey characteristics and social situations. The model yielded a series of qualitative predictions about prey-dropping behavior that can be tested readily in any prey-dropping system. In particular, the results indicated that quantitative and qualitative differences in item breakability and potential kleptoparasitism should have a significant effect on the height and pattern of prey dropping.

Key words: dynamic state variable model, foraging behavior, kleptoparasitism, prey dropping.


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D. A. Cristol and P. V. Switzer
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