Cited research: Proc. R. Soc. B doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.0630 (2010)

Black-capped chickadees living in a harsh environment are better learners than their counterparts in more comfortable climates, a difference that may be inherited.

Timothy Roth and his co-workers at the University of Nevada in Reno took 10-day-old black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus; pictured) from wild populations in Anchorage, Alaska, and the milder climes of Manhattan in Kansas. They kept the chicks in similar indoor environments until they were about 5 months old, at which point they began the learning tests.

The authors found that the Alaskan chicks were significantly better at a problem-solving task than those from the southern population. The results suggest that the difference is inherited, although the study could not rule out the effects of early-life experience. N.G.

Credit: G. BARTLEY/PHOTOLIBRARY