Good vibrations: remote-tactile foraging success of wading birds is positively affected by the water content of substrates they forage in

Abstract

Some taxa of wading birds can locate buried prey by detecting vibratory cues in their foraging substrates while probe-foraging, using a sensory modality called ‘remote-touch'. As more saturated substrates transmit vibrations better, we predict that these birds can detect prey in wetter substrates more easily. We used sensory assays to test whether substrate water content affects the remote-touch foraging success rate of Hadeda ibises, Bostrychia hagedash. The birds were more successful at locating prey using vibratory cues than when relying on random direct contact with the beak alone. Their remote-touch foraging success rate was positively affected by increasing water contents of the soil, but water content had no effect on their direct contact foraging success (indicating this is not an artefact of ease of probing). This may partially explain the link between the range expansion of this species in southern Africa and increased soil irrigation, as it is easier for the birds to detect prey in wetter substrates. Thus, it is likely that the distribution of other remote-touch foraging birds is affected by substrate water content, and as many of these species are endangered and rely on sensitive wetland habitats, it is vital to understand their sensory requirements for foraging.