Summary
Sight-dependent predators may tend to form “searching images” for common varieties of a polymorphic prey species. Selection would then be frequency-dependent and could maintain the polymorphism. This hypothesis has been tested in 13 experiments by presenting populations of green and brown lard-and-flour “baits” to wild passerine birds in their normal surroundings. In each experiment groups of birds were “trained” on greens or browns and were then exposed to populations with the two colours in equal proportions. In every case there was a highly significant tendency for the familiar colour to be taken in excess. In three of the experiments the birds were given a second period of training, this time with the unfamiliar colour. Their overall preferences were reversed and the effect of the training seemed to decrease with time.
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Allen, J. Further evidence for apostatic selection by wild passerine birds: training experiments. Heredity 33, 361–372 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1974.103
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1974.103
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