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How Immigrants Inspire Social Learning in Wild Birds

A new study has revealed that immigration can serve as a trigger for social learning among wild animals. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) and the University of Konstanz have demonstrated how great tits rapidly adopt new behaviors after joining a new group. This study, published in PLOS Biology, provides the first experimental evidence to Support the idea that newcomers strategically rely on social learning.

The study focused on great tits, a bird species famous for their inventive behavior, such as opening milk bottle lids in the 1920s to access cream. While this behavior spread quickly across Europe, it was unclear if it was learned through observation. That mystery began to unravel in 2015 when an experiment confirmed that great tits could mimic behaviors to access food rewards. Building on this foundation, the latest research investigated whether changing environments could further enhance this learning process.

Using puzzle boxes that required specific methods to open, researchers trained some birds to push the door left and others to push it right. These “tutors” were then introduced to groups of wild-caught birds. Later, birds were transferred into groups using the opposite method, mimicking an immigration scenario. The results were striking: 80% of the newcomers immediately adopted the resident group’s method, suggesting they learned by observing others.

However, an unexpected factor amplified the effect. Scientists also altered the environment by changing the aviaries’ foliage. When the visual surroundings were unfamiliar, immigrants were more likely to adopt the local behavior. In unchanged environments, only 25% of newcomers switched to the residents’ method on their first try. This finding underscores the powerful role of environmental cues in encouraging social learning.

Lucy Aplin, the study’s senior author, explained that animals often face new environments in nature, making it vital to assess and adopt beneficial behaviors. “Our study provided the experimental evidence to show that this is also what happens in real life,” she said.