Advance social information allows red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) to better conserve body mass and intestinal mass during food stress

Animals prepare for fluctuations in resources through advance storage of energy, planned reduction in energy costs or by moving elsewhere. Unpredictable fluctuations in food, however, may be particularly challenging if animals cannot avoid negative impacts on body condition. Social information may help animals to cope with unpredictable resources if cues from individuals with low foraging success give advance warning about deteriorating conditions. This study investigates the impact of social information on behavior and physiology of food-restricted captive red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra). Birds were restricted to two short feeding periods per day to simulate a decline in resources and were given social information from food-restricted neighbors either before (i.e., predictive) or during (i.e., parallel) the food restriction period. Focal birds better conserved body mass during food restriction if social information was predictive of the decline in resources. Crossbills with predicti...