Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

Imprinting

Imprinting

Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a parent) following brief, early-life exposures. Offspring imprint onto parents within a brief period after birth or hatching; this time window is called the critical period. Once imprinting occurs, the bond established between the parents and their offspring is usually long-lasting.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Effectiveness of an environmental nutrition and physical activity intervention in early childhood education and care settings (NAPSACC UK): a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial.

The Lancet regional health. Europe·2026

Same author

The Secret Life of Tidal Marshes and Mangroves: Camera Trapping as a Window Into Wildlife Using North American Coastal Wetlands.

Ecology and evolution·2026

Same author

Phase II clinical trial of nirogacestat in patients with relapsed ovarian granulosa cell tumours.

Clinical and translational medicine·2026

Same author

Aggressive Chemotherapy and Antepartum Management of Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary of Hypercalcemic Type: A Novel Case Report with Ethical and Medical Decision-Making Consideration.

AJP reports·2025

Same author

Motion parallax allows 7-8-month-old infants to distinguish pictures from their referents.

i-Perception·2025

Same author

Homologous recombination deficiency should be tested for in patients with advanced stage high-grade serous ovarian cancer aged 70 years and over.

Gynecologic oncology·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 11, 2026

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia

Published on: September 7, 2018

Pigeons use distinct stop phases to control pecking.

Leslie M Theunissen^1,2, Thomas Reid¹, Nikolaus F Troje³

¹Queen's University Kingston, Department of Psychology, Biomotion Lab, 62 Arch Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|November 26, 2016

Summary

Pigeon head movements during pecking reveal two distinct stop phases. Both phases adjust for target size, suggesting the first stop phase aids accuracy rather than initial target selection.

Keywords:

Bird Head movement Learning Motion capture Motor control Pecking

More Related Videos

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Published on: June 2, 2014

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Published on: December 26, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 11, 2026

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons Columba Livia

Published on: September 7, 2018

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Published on: June 2, 2014

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Published on: December 26, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Animal Behavior
Biomechanics

Background:

Accurate head movements are crucial for pecking at small targets.
The planning of pecking involves two proposed stop phases, but their functions are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the characteristics and functions of the two head stop phases during pigeon pecking.
To test hypotheses regarding the roles of these stop phases in target selection and final approach programming.

Main Methods:

High-speed motion capture was used to analyze head movements in pigeons (Columba livia).
Two experiments were conducted: one varying target size and another using a two-alternative forced choice task with varying difficulty.

Main Results:

The duration of both stop phases increased significantly as target size decreased.
Positive correlations were found between target size and beak-to-stimulus distances during both stop phases.
Stop phase characteristics did not change with increasing task difficulty in the forced choice experiment.

Conclusions:

The first stop phase is not solely for target selection but also contributes to the second stop phase's function.
The second stop phase is critical for improving pecking accuracy and planning the final approach to a target.