Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Pattern recognition and active vision in chickens

Nature volume 403, pages 652–655 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Recognition of objects or environmental landmarks is problematic because appearance can vary widely depending on illumination, viewing distance, angle of view and so on1. Storing a separate image or ‘template’ for every possible view requires vast numbers to be stored and scanned, has a high probability of recognition error and appears not to be the solution adopted by primates2,3. However, some invertebrate template matching systems can achieve recognition by ‘active vision’ in which the animal's own behaviour is used to achieve a fit between template and object4, for example by repeatedly following a set path5,6,7. Recognition is thus limited to views from the set path but achieved with a minimal number of templates. Here we report the first evidence of similar active vision in a bird, in the form of locomotion and individually distinct head movements that give the eyes a similar series of views on different occasions. The hens’ ability to recognize objects is also found to decrease when their normal paths are altered.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Examples from each of six hens of the head movements on approach to stimulus objects.
Figure 2: Frequency distribution of fixations at different distances.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ullman,, S. High-level Vision. Object Recognition and Visual Cognition (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1996).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Edelman, S. Computational theories of object recognition. Trends Cogn. Sci. 1, 296–304 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Rolls, E. T. Brain mechanisms for invariant visual recognition and learning. Behav. Proc. 33, 113–138. (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Land, M. F. & Collett, T. S. in From Living Eyes to Seeing Machines (eds Srinivasan, M. V. & Venkatesh, S.) 16–36 (Oxford Univ. Press, 1997).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Collett, T. S. Landmark learning and guidance in insects. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 337, 295–303 (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Collett, T. S. Making learning easy: the acquisition of visual information during orientation flights of social wasps. J. Comp. Physiol. A 177, 737–747 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Zeil,, J. Orientation flights of solitary wasps (Cerceris; Sphecidae; Hymenoptera). J. Comp. Physiol. A 172, 189–222 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Baker, R. R. The Evolutionary Ecology of Animal Migration (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Wallman, J. & Letelier, J. C. in Vision, Brain and Behaviour in Birds (eds Zeigler, H. P. & Bischoff, H.-J.) 245–264 (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Pratt, D. W. Saccadic eye movements are coordinated with head movements in walking chickens. J. Exp. Biol. 97, 217–223 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Dawkins, M. S. Distance and social recognition in hens: implications for the use of photographs as social stimuli. Behaviour 133, 663–680 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Turkel, J. & Wallman, J. Oscillatory eye movements with possible visual function in birds. Neurosci. Abstr. 3, 158 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Andrew, R. J. & Dhamaretnam,, M. in Vision, Brain and Behavior in Birds (eds Zeigler, H. P. &. Bischoff, H.-J) 319–332. (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank M. Cortina Borja for statistical advice, the Royal Society for an Equipment grant and the University of Oxford for a Pump-Priming grant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK

    Marian Stamp Dawkins & Alan Woodington

Authors
  1. Marian Stamp Dawkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alan Woodington
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marian Stamp Dawkins.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dawkins, M., Woodington, A. Pattern recognition and active vision in chickens. Nature 403, 652–655 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35001064

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35001064

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing