Environment-dependent attachment behaviour of goslings (Anser indicus) due to environment-specific separation experience.

Abstract

Hand-reared Bar-headed goslings (Anser indicus) were always left alone by the human parent in one room, while in another room the parent was always with them. After 13--22 h of experience in each room and at an age of 4--5 days individual goslings were left alone for 5 min in each room. They uttered significantly fewer distress calls in the room in which they were accustomed to being left alone by the parent. The result is interpreted in terms of environment-dependent calibration of interindividual distances. Such weighted distances are expected to be important variables in the short-term control of attachment behaviour.