Abstract
Variation in reactions to aposematic prey is common among conspecific individuals of bird predators. This variation may possibly be explained by the effect of personality - a complex of correlated, heritable behavioural traits consistent across contexts.
In the great tit (Parus major), two extreme personality types have been defined. Influence of personality type on unlearned reaction to aposematic prey, rate of avoidance learning and memory were tested in naive, hand-reared great tits from two opposite lines selected for exploration (slow against fast).
The birds were subjected to a sequence of trials in which they were offered aposematic adult firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus). Slow birds showed a greater degree of unlearned wariness and learned to avoid the firebugs faster than fast birds.
Although birds of both personality types remembered their experience, slow birds were more cautious in the memory test.