Form of Early Pecking in the Ring Dove Squab (Streptoplia risoria ): An Examination of the Preformation Hypothesis

We investigated the components of pecking in adult and squab ring doves ( Streptoplia risoria ). A very precise gape transduction system was used to collect normative data and examine the hypothesis that food pecking develops prefunctionally, that is, without related experience. In Experiment 1, adult gapes were characterized as a function of pellet size. In Experiment 2, we examined squab's gapes during early attempts to feed. These gapes were not very similar to the adult form and were poorly coordinated with head thrusts. In Experiment 3, we assessed contributions of maturation to the development of the food peck. Squab raised on powdered grain received Pavlovian pairings of the sight of whole grain with feedings. Induced pecks had gapes that were not similar to the adult form and displayed poor coordination with thrust. We conclude that task-specific experience is needed for the development of the adult food peck.