Data from: Reactions of captive adult great tits towards aposematic prey: Effects of personality

Individual variation in reactions to novel aposematic prey is common in
avian predators. In wild adults, this variation may be caused by
differences among individuals in experience with various prey, but similar
variation exists in naive juveniles, and this is linked to personality – a
complex of correlated, partly heritable behavioral traits that are
consistent across time. Along the extremes on an axis of early exploratory
behavior in great tits (Parus major), fast explorers are bold, aggressive,
and routine-forming, whereas slow explorers are shy, less aggressive, and
more innovative. We tested the effect of personality on innate wariness
towards aposematic prey in adult hand-reared great tits from two lines
selected for opposite levels of early exploratory behavior (fast versus
slow). The birds were offered aposematic firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus)
over two days. Birds from both selection lines showed a similar degree of
innate wariness towards the firebugs on the first day, but on the second
day, fast explorers approached the firebugs significantly faster and more
frequently than slow birds. Whether the birds attacked the firebugs was
also dependent on their personality. Thus, personality-related individual
differences in reactions of great tits towards the aposematic prey were
maintained in the adult life stage.