Evaluation of neophobia in a threatened seabird: Olrog's Gull (Larus atlanticus) as a case study

Behavioural differences between individuals are expected when animal face novel stimuli. Aversion responses in such situations are called neophobia. Here, we assessed the degree of neophobia towards objects with respect to social context and age in Olrog's Gulls (Larus atlanticus). The responses of individuals in trials in which a novel object was placed at a feeding station were compared with those of individuals in trials without a novel object. In the presence of a novel object, gulls consumed food in less than 60% of the cases. We found one type of object where gulls expressed a high degree of aversive response. The probability of a gull consuming bait from a feeding station was higher in juveniles than sub-adults, and increased also with the number of adults close to the feeding station. Consumption latency was higher during treatment trials than during the control trials. The degree of neophobia in juveniles decreased with increasing numbers of individuals close to the station. Our study demonstrated the potential relevance of neophobia in understanding foraging behaviour and potential conservation concerns in this near-threatened species.