Penguin Watch Talk

Communal / Responsive Preening?

  • gardenmaeve by gardenmaeve moderator

    PW volunteer counter barbarap asks a question about which I've also wondered:

    When we see images containing many penguins preening at the same time, might that indicate a social aspect to the highly important preening that keeps feathers clean and waterproof? Does the preening of one penguin elicit a preening response by others in the group? Is there any indication that communal preening in Antarctic penguins is a function of group cohesiveness or an indication of relative safety or anxiety within a particulat nesting area?

    If we were talking about domestic chickens, for example, the answers to the preceeding questions would be "Yes", but what do we know about the penguins?

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  • gardenmaeve by gardenmaeve moderator

    For example, this article looks at social preening in terns: Evidence for social facilitation of preening in the common tern

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  • gardenmaeve by gardenmaeve moderator

    This behavior is different from, although perhaps related to, mutual preening seen when a mated pair preen one another's feathers.

    As penguins are very social birds, it seems an interesting and appropriate line of inquiry. Penguin Social Structure "Penguins don’t have leaders of the colony which is surprising to many people. However, there is plenty of evidence to show that there are some which are more dominate than others in the group. For example one penguin can do a certain action and most of the colony will follow along. This is very interesting and something that many researchers want to understand in better detail."

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  • AvastMH by AvastMH moderator

    If I were in a group of penguins, and I knew who got the best catches for least work, I'd follow their lead in all aspects of life in the hope of having an equally good outcome. I'd look attractive and like a good partner to have, thereby giving me a good chance of passing on my genes. I'll try to help with the information search @gardenmaeve 😃

    I might be able to find some interesting extras once I'm at work because I'll be able to access the Bodleian Libraryetc.

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