Exploration and Play in the Behavioural Development of the Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen

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Abstract
Exploration and play behaviors were found to occupy a large proportion of the juvenile magpie''s time. Prior to fledging, the occurrence of exploration and play increased. It decreased after fledging, and then increased again by the 4th-6th wk after fledging, before finally decreasing to a low level. At 4-6 wk after fledging some juveniles spent up to 20% of the daylight hours playing. Both exploration and play with objects and social partners followed this developmental pattern. However, on a daily basis, exploration and play with objects was correlated with foraging, but exploration and play with social partners was not. Exploration and play with objects appeared to be involved in 2 important behavioral changes during development, leaving the nest and the initiation of prey-capture attempts. Although exploration and play with objects has been shown to be implicated in the initiation of self-feeding, the transition from dependent to independent feeding by juveniles primarily resulted from changes in the relationship between parents and offspring. With increasing age of juveniles, adults became increasingly reluctant to feed them; juveniles at first attempted to solicit more food from adults, but as this became increasingly difficult, they switched to self-feeding.