Drinking in the pigeon (Columba livia): Topography and spatiotemporal organization.

Analyzed drinking response of 5 male White Carneaux pigeons by means of high-speed cinematography. Like eating, drinking may be subdivided into 3 movement patterns involving the effector systems of the neck, eyelids, and beak. The major topographic difference between the 2 responses involves beak opening (gape). In eating, beak opening begins prior to contact with the food, and the amount of gape is directly proportional to seed size. In drinking, the beak remains almost closed during descent and opens intermittently and with a relatively small gape during water intake. The topography of drinking in the pigeon differs from that of many birds, and these differences reflect a difference in the mechanism of water ingestion. Data in this study confirm previous observations of a general resemblance between certain features of the pigeon's drinking behavior and the topography of water-reinforced key pecks. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)