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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

Published on: July 8, 2015

Evidence for long-term spatial memory in a parid.

Timothy C Roth¹, Lara D LaDage, Vladimir V Pravosudov

¹Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA. TCRoth@unr.edu

Animal Cognition

|July 21, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Black-capped chickadees demonstrate remarkable long-term spatial memory, retaining food locations for over six months. This study highlights the significant memory capabilities of small birds, challenging previous assumptions about memory longevity.

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Area of Science:

Animal behavior
Neuroscience
Ornithology

Background:

Spatial memory is crucial for many animals, especially for foraging and survival.
While spatial memory accuracy is well-studied, its longevity remains less understood.
Previous research has primarily focused on long-term spatial memory in corvids.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the longevity of spatial memory in a parid species, the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus).
To determine if black-capped chickadees can remember food item locations for extended periods.
To compare memory longevity between different chickadee populations.

Main Methods:

An associative-learning spatial memory paradigm was employed.
Chickadees were trained to remember the location of a single food item with multiple reinforcements.
Memory retention was assessed over a period of at least six months.

Main Results:

Black-capped chickadees demonstrated the ability to remember a food item's location for at least six months.
No significant difference in memory longevity was found between two populations previously identified as differing in short-term spatial memory and hippocampal morphology.
Long-term spatial memory was demonstrated with as few as 16 repeated trials.

Conclusions:

Small birds, like parids, possess the capacity for long-term spatial memory, previously observed mainly in corvids.
This long-term memory may be advantageous for relocating cached food if reinforced by repeated visits.
Further research is needed to explore the role of multiple reinforcements and natural caching behaviors in memory longevity.