Question

Imprinting helps birds:________

a. perform the proper courtship ritual.
b. defend their territory.
c. recognize a member of their own species.
d. form a fixed action pattern.
e. build a better nest.

Answer 1

c. recognize a member of their own species.

Step-by-step explanation:

Imprinting is a form of social earning that occurs in a critical period based on early experience, in which an animal develop a sense of identity usually within few hours or days after birth.

In birds, for example in ducks, once an egg is hatched, the ducklings imprints on the first moving object they see which happens to be the mother. In other to keep track of the mother, they learn to respond to a characteristic sound that have been emitted by the mother. Through imprinting, they are able to distinguish their mother from the rest of the ducks. Imprintng helps birds to form an identity during early stage at birth, which helps them to recognize members of their own species.