Egg signals affect chicks behaviour
17 Mar 10
The behaviour of chicks is shaped by "chemical" messages which are left by their mothers in their eggs, according to new research.
Scientists led by Dr Rebecca Kilner, from the University of Cambridge, found the baby birds learn from the signals if they will be looked after by generous parents or not.
Nestlings of generous parents are more vigorous in their demand for food, while those born to less considerate mothers are not so demanding, the research published in the journal Science revealed.
Dr Kilner said: "We've known for about twenty years that maternal substances in the egg can influence how chicks develop, but the common assumption is that they are a means by which mothers manipulate their offspring in a way that suits the mother more than the chick.
"What we've shown is the reverse: these substances are actually there to suit the chick. If we muck up the message in the egg experimentally, it is the chick that is penalised directly rather than the mother."
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