Food sharing in jackdaws, Corvus monedula: what, why and with whom?

Food sharing is common in birds between mated pairs during courtship and by helpers at the nest in cooperatively breeding species. In contrast to primates, however, food sharing between peers in birds has received little attention. We explored the extent and pattern of food sharing in a group of juvenile jackdaws. The birds shared food with a number of individuals, regardless of sex and kinship. The frequency of food sharing and the number of recipients per donor decreased over time. Active food sharing, where the initiative for the transfer lies with the donor, appeared to be much more common in jackdaws than in any primate species studied so far. In addition, jackdaws shared more of a preferred food than of a less preferred food. Three functional explanations for food sharing between peers were tested: reciprocity, harassment avoidance and food sharing as a signal of social status. The results were consistent with reciprocity and harassment avoidance.