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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

A New Approach that Eliminates Handling for Studying Aggression and the "Loser" Effect in Drosophila melanogaster

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Siblicidal aggression and resource monopolization in birds.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|August 17, 1984

Summary

Great egret chicks exhibit fatal siblicide due to monopolizing small prey, unlike great blue herons. Cross-fostering heron chicks to egret parents induced siblicide, confirming prey size as a key factor in avian aggression.

Area of Science:

Behavioral Ecology
Ornithology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Sibling aggression and siblicide are observed in some bird species, impacting chick survival.
Great egret (Casmerodius albus) chicks frequently engage in siblicide, often fatally attacking younger nestmates.
Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) chicks exhibit significantly less aggression towards siblings.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of prey size in driving interspecific differences in siblicide between great egrets and great blue herons.
To determine if prey size is the primary factor influencing aggression and siblicide in these two species.

Main Methods:

Observational studies of natural siblicide rates in great egret and great blue heron populations.
Experimental cross-fostering of chicks between the two species.

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Controlled feeding experiments manipulating prey size provided to cross-fostered chicks.

Main Results:

Great egret chicks, fed small prey, displayed high levels of aggression and siblicide.
Great blue heron chicks, when cross-fostered to egret parents and fed small prey, became siblicidal.
Egret chicks, when cross-fostered to heron parents, did not show a reduction in aggression or siblicide, regardless of prey size.

Conclusions:

Prey size is a critical determinant of sibling aggression and siblicide in great egrets and great blue herons.
The ability to monopolize small prey facilitates aggressive behaviors in young birds.
Behavioral plasticity in response to prey size influences the evolution of sibling conflict in avian species.