TOCing with birds: Touchscreen-equipped operant chambers as flexible tools for avian behavioral experiments

Sandra Winters , George R.A. Hancock, Theo Brown, Ossi Nokelainen, Sanni Silvasti, Janne Valkonen, Johanna Mappes

1. Understanding how animals respond to visual stimuli is a key goal of behavioral and evolutionary ecology. Experiments documenting the behavioral responses of receivers to different stimuli are an essential explanatory tool, yet presenting stimuli that engage in complex but controlled animal behaviors – such as naturalistic movement – to biologically relevant receivers remains a significant logistical challenge.
2. We describe a touchscreen-equipped operant chamber (TOC) for documenting the reactions of wild birds to visual stimuli; the setup includes a touchscreen display designed to work with avian anatomy and visual systems. We give a comprehensive overview of the TOC and experimental protocols, provide practical advice for generating stimuli and training birds, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of TOCs, and highlight its potential to advance research in ecology and evolution.
3. TOCs are a versatile and valuable component of the experimental toolkit in ecology and evolution. By facilitating controlled experiments with biologically relevant dynamic stimuli, TOCs allow investigations into fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. Here, we emphasize the utility of this tool for understanding predator-prey dynamics and protective coloration in prey avoiding avian predators, but the TOC is also broadly applicable to answering a wide range of questions in ecology and evolution.