Dvě silné ženy, dva německé osudy a příběh slavného berlínského nákupního domu KaDeWe. Německo 1914: Charlotte vyrůstá v Sasku na rozlehlém statku svého otce, úspěšného obchodníka. Zdá se, že jí svět leží u nohou, když je svou tetou a jejím židovským manželem uvedena do společnosti. Zde potká svou první lásku. Ale první světová válka jí zhatí plány a její život se navždy změní. Ve stejnou dobu se s nástrahami osudu potýká i Anna ze Sprévského lesa. Ta naopak zná jen přísnou disciplínu a tvrdou práci. I přesto potká první lásku, svého nejlepšího přítele, který je záhy během 1. světové války odvelen na frontu. Švadlenka Anna nastupuje jednoho mrazivého únorového dne v roce 1919 do vlaku směrem do Berlína, aby v chudinské čtvrti Wedding vyrazila se svým entuziasmem nabitým mládím vstříc novému životu. V tu dobu zrovna hledají prodavačky v jednom z největších místních nákupních domů... Anna a Charlotte se potkají až v roce 1953. Mezi nimi leží dvě světové války a jejich osudy.

Amodal completion enables an animal to perceive partly concealed objects as an entirety, and to interact with them appropriately. Several studies, based upon either operant conditioning or filial imprinting techniques, have shown that various animals (both mammals and birds) can perform amodal completion. Before this study, the use of amodal completion by untrained animals in the recognition of objects had not been considered. Using two feeders, we observed in a field experiment the reaction of tits to the torso of a sparrowhawk (partly occluded or an 'amputated' dummy) in two different treatments (sparrowhawk torso vs. complete dummy pigeon; and torso vs. complete dummy sparrowhawk). It is clear that the birds considered the two torso variants as predators and kept away from both of them when the second feeder offered a 'pigeon' instead. On the other hand, when a 'complete sparrowhawk' was present on the second feeder, the number of visits to the occluded torso remained low; while the number of visits to the amputated one increased threefold. Birds risked perching near what was clearly an amputated torso; while the fear of a "hiding" (occluded) torso remained unchanged, when the second feeder did not provide a safe alternative. Such discrimination between torsos requires the ability for amodal completion. Our results demonstrate that in their recognition process, the birds not only use simple sign stimuli, but also complex cognitive functions.

• MeSH
• chování zvířat MeSH
• neparametrická statistika MeSH
• percepční uzavřenost MeSH
• predátorské chování MeSH
• rozpoznávání (psychologie) MeSH
• vnímání tvaru MeSH
• zpěvní ptáci MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH

Despite object categorization being an important ability for the survival of wild animals, the principles behind this ability have been only scarcely studied using wild-ranging, untrained animals. Reiterating our previous study undertaken with wild-ranging titmice on winter feeders (Nováková et al. Behav Process 143:7-12, 2017), we aimed to test two hypotheses of object recognition proposed by animal psychology studies: the particulate feature theory and recognition by components in the methodological paradigm of nest defence. We tested whether the parents of the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) recognize the dummies of the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), which is a potential predator of large chicks or fledglings, as a threat in case when their body parts are scrambled. The kestrel dummy was presented with the head at the top, in the middle, and at the bottom of the body. We showed that the shrikes did not consider dummies of a kestrel with an inappropriately placed head as a threat to the nest and attacked it equally scarcely as the harmless control. These results support the theory of recognition by components, presuming that the mutual position of body parts is essential for appropriate recognition of the object. When the body parts were scrambled, most of shrikes were not able to identify the kestrel in such an object despite all local features (eye, beak, colouration, and claws) being present. Nevertheless, shrikes did not consider the scrambled dummies as completely harmless, because they fed their chicks in their presence significantly less often than in the presence of harmless control.

• MeSH
• divoká zvířata MeSH
• Falconiformes * MeSH
• Passeriformes * MeSH
• roční období MeSH
• rozpoznávání (psychologie) MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Despite the encountering of a predator always being extremely threatening, there is a significant plasticity among individuals in how they cope with such a situation. In laboratory experiments with wild-caught great tits (Parus major), we tested the effect of exploratory behaviour (performance in novel food, object and environment test, startle test) on the ability of individual birds to assess the threat represented by a predator. We presented a wooden dummy of the European sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), an extremely dangerous predator, and its visual modifications (chimeras), changing the beak or head to be non-threatening (those of a pigeon - Columba livia f. domestica). We showed that the differences between 'slow' and 'fast explorers' are not very distinct, but that 'slow explorers' generally tended to be more cautious in the presence of an unmodified sparrowhawk dummy, while the 'fast explorers' tended to observe the dummy. On the contrary, 'slow explorers' tended to treat both chimaeras (and the pigeon dummy as well) as less-threatening than 'fast explorers'. Since 'slow explorers' are usually considered to be more sensitive to environmental cues, it came as no surprise that most of them correctly assessed the unmodified sparrowhawk dummy as threatening, while they probably subjected the chimeras to a detailed inspection and were not confused by the presence of sparrowhawk features and assessed them as non-threatening.

• MeSH
• chování zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• Passeriformes fyziologie   MeSH
• pátrací chování fyziologie   MeSH
• podněty * MeSH
• zraková percepce fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The object categorization is only scarcely studied using untrained wild ranging animals and relevant stimuli. We tested the importance of the spatial position of features salient for categorization of a predator using wild ranging birds (titmice) visiting a winter feeder. As a relevant stimulus we used a dummy of a raptor, the European sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), placed at the feeding location. This dummy was designed to be dismantled into three parts and rearranged with the head in the correct position, in the middle or at the bottom of the dummy. When the birds had the option of visiting an alternative feeder with a dummy pigeon, they preferred this option to visiting the feeder with the dummy sparrowhawk with the head in any of the three positions. When the birds had the option of visiting an alternative feeder with an un-rearranged dummy sparrowhawk, they visited both feeders equally often, and very scarcely. This suggests that the titmice considered all of the sparrowhawk modifications as being dangerous, and equally dangerous as the un-rearranged sparrowhawk. The position of the head was not the most important cue for categorization. The presence of the key features was probably sufficient for categorization, and their mutual spatial position was of lower importance.

• MeSH
• divoká zvířata psychologie   MeSH
• některé rody čeledi Accipitridae MeSH
• Passeriformes * MeSH
• podněty MeSH
• stravovací zvyklosti psychologie   MeSH
• učení vyhýbat se * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

It is supposed that body size serves as an important cue in the recognition of relevant stimuli in nature. As predators of varying body size pose differing levels of threat, their potential prey should be able to discriminate between them. We tested the reaction of great tits (Parus major) to the dummies of their common predator (the European sparrowhawk-Accipiter nisus) in natural and reduced body sizes under laboratory conditions. All of the tested dummies possessed local raptor-specific features (hooked beak, claws with talons, and conspicuous eyes), but differed in global species-specific features: body size (large - the size of a sparrowhawk, small - the size of a great tit) and colouration (sparrowhawk, great tit, robin, and pigeon). The sparrowhawk-coloured dummies evoked fear regardless of their size while both great tit- and pigeon-coloured dummies evoked no fear reaction. The body size was used as the cue only for the discrimination of the robin-coloured dummies. The differences in reactions to the dummies with robin colouration (species unimportant to the great tits) could be explained as that the tits are able to recognize these birds in nature, but not so undoubtedly as the predator or the conspecific.

• MeSH
• chování zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• Passeriformes fyziologie   MeSH
• predátorské chování fyziologie   MeSH
• rozpoznávání obrazu fyziologie   MeSH
• velikost těla fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Object permanence is a cognitive ability that enables animals to mentally represent the continuous existence of temporarily hidden objects. Generally, it develops gradually through six qualitative stages, the evolution of which may be connected with some specific ecological and behavioral factors. In birds, the advanced object permanence skills were reported in several storing species of the Corvidae family. In order to test the association between food-storing and achieved performance within the stages, we compared food-storing coal tits (Periparus ater) and nonstoring great tits (Parus major) using an adapted version of Uzgiris & Hunt's Scale 1 tasks. The coal tits significantly outperformed the great tits in searching for completely hidden objects. Most of the great tits could not solve the task when the object disappeared completely. However, the upper limit for both species is likely to be Stage 4. The coal tits could solve problems with simply hidden objects, but they used alternative strategies rather than mental representation when searching for completely hidden objects, especially if choosing between two locations. Our results also suggest that neophobia did not affect the overall performance in the object permanence tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record

• MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• kognice fyziologie   MeSH
• Passeriformes fyziologie   MeSH
• potraviny * MeSH
• stravovací zvyklosti fyziologie   MeSH
• uhlí MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The most important role in the recognition and categorization of predators (as well as other animals) is usually attributed to so-called key features. Under laboratory conditions, we tested the role of yellow eyes (specific for the genus Accipiter in European raptors) and hooked beak (common for all European birds of prey) in the recognition of the sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) by untrained great tits (Parus major) caught in the wild. Using wooden dummies, we interchanged either one of these potential key features or the body of the sparrowhawk (predator) and domestic pigeon (harmless bird). The tested tits showed three types of behaviour in the presence of the dummies: fear, interest without fear, and lack of interest. Eye interchange lowered fear of the sparrowhawk, but did not cause fear of the pigeon. Beak interchange did not lower fear of the sparrowhawk. Eye interchange caused increased interest in both species. Thus, a specific sparrowhawk feature is necessary for correct sparrowhawk dummy recognition but a general raptor feature is not. On the other hand, a specific sparrowhawk feature on a pigeon dummy is not enough to prompt sparrowhawk recognition. Thus, key features play an important, but not exclusive, role in predator recognition. An increased interest in some of the modified dummies implies that the tits have a general concept of a sparrowhawk. The individual variability in behaviour of tits is discussed.

• MeSH
• Columbidae MeSH
• některé rody čeledi Accipitridae MeSH
• oči MeSH
• predátorské chování * MeSH
• rozpoznávání (psychologie) MeSH
• zpěvní ptáci * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Syllable rate has been shown to play a role in male-male aggressive interactions and has been proposed to serve as a male quality indicator in several bird species. In those with fast syllable rates, males often increase rates when singing in aggressive context, and respond differently to test stimuli of varying rates. We asked whether the syllable rate fulfils a similar signalling function in the chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), a songbird species with a slow syllable rate. We confronted 36 chiffchaff males with one of three playback types differing in syllable rate: control (non-manipulated rate), fast, or slow (artificially increased and decreased syllable rate, respectively). We recorded tested males' songs and behaviour before and during the experiment. Our results indicate that syllable rate might be an aggressive signal in chiffchaff. Males that physically attacked the loudspeaker during experiments sang faster songs spontaneously, and those that continued singing during the playback responded to fast and non-manipulated stimuli with substantial increase of syllable rate. Indirect evidence further suggests that syllable rate in chiffchaff is unlikely constrained by respiratory demands; thus, we propose that syllable rate in this species functions as a conventional signal of male aggressiveness rather than an index of quality.

• MeSH
• agrese fyziologie   MeSH
• motivace fyziologie   MeSH
• vokalizace zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• zlost fyziologie   MeSH
• zpěvní ptáci fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Red-backed shrikes (Lanius collurio) behave quite differently towards two common nest predators. While the European jay (Garrulus glandarius) is commonly attacked, in the presence of the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), shrikes stay fully passive. We tested the hypotheses that this passive response to the magpie is an alternative defense strategy. Nesting shrikes were exposed to the commonly attacked European kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) in a situation in which i) a harmless domestic pigeon, ii) a commonly attacked European jay, and iii) a non-attacked black-billed magpie are (separately) presented nearby. The kestrel dummy presented together with the magpie dummy was attacked with a significantly lower intensity than when it was presented with the other intruders (pigeon, jay) or alone. This means that the presence of the magpie inhibited the shrike's defense response towards the other intruder. These results support our previous hypotheses that shrikes use an alternative defense strategy in the magpie's presence. We hypothesize that the magpie is able to associate the active defense of the shrikes with the close proximity of a nest and that shrikes try not to draw the magpie's attention to the nest. The reason why this strategy is not used against the jay remains unanswered as jays as well as magpies show very similar cognitive and foraging skills enabling them to individuate the nest presence according to active parental defense.

• MeSH
• hnízdění * MeSH
• predátorské chování * MeSH
• ptáci * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH