Overview

• A newly published PLOS Biology field study monitored 51 breeding pairs and 229 fledglings using two-solution sliding-door feeders.
• Nearly 75% of first learners in each brood learned from non-parent adults, compared with about 25% who learned from their parents.
• About 94% of subsequent learners adopted the solution demonstrated by their siblings, indicating strong within-brood transmission.
• Parental problem-solving skill increased the likelihood that juveniles learned to solve the puzzle, but siblings and other adults most strongly shaped the specific strategies juveniles used.
• The authors connect these alternative learning pathways to animal culture and potential population resilience, noting juveniles consumed roughly 72 pounds (33 kg) of mealworms during trials.