Juveniles are bolder than adults in black-headed gulls: A field test of the experience hypothesis

This study conducted in December 2022 at Cuihu Park in Kunming, Yunnan Province (102° 70′ E, 25° 04′ N), experimentally investigated the flight initiation distance (FID) of juveniles and adult Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) to verify the experience hypothesis and habituation hypothesis. Simulating human observers, we tested the birds' reactions to four colors of clothing (black, red, green, and white). The experiments were carried out under clear skies between 8 AM and 4 PM, with observers approaching the relaxed birds at a uniform pace and recording the distance at which the birds initiated flight.The results showed that the FID of juveniles was significantly shorter than that of adults, supporting the experience hypothesis that less experienced individuals exhibit greater curiosity and boldness. This research offers new insights into the behavioral adaptations of birds and highlights the need to consider the behavioral characteristics of different age groups when protecting wildlife in urban environments, providing empirical evidence for the behavioral adaptations of wildlife in urbanization.This data is for experimental data recording and data analysis.* File count: 1 files.* Total file size: 33.8 KB.* File formats: Microsoft Excel.