Life in structured social groups poses challenges 1, 2, that affect individuals’ fitness 3, 4 and may drive brain evolution 5, 6. High fission-fusion dynamics may thus not hinder but shape the social complexity of ravens and, possibly, other long-term bonded birds. Such a system makes repeated interactions between individuals at different sites possible and likely. Although GPS-tagged ravens spread out over thousands of square kilometres, we found repeated associations between almost half of the possible combinations at different locations. As expected, we found a highly dynamic system in which individuals with long phases of temporary settlement had a high probability of meeting others. We combined four large datasets: presence-absence observations from two study sites (Austria, Italy) and GPS-tracking of ravens across two study areas (Austria, France). We here examined the fission-fusion patterns of non-breeding ravens over years, investigating whether birds meet repeatedly either at the same or at different locations. While raven breeders defend territories year-round, non-breeders roam through large areas and form groups at food sources or night roosts. Little is known about birds, even though some species like ravens have recently received attention for their socio-cognitive skills and use of social bonds. The influence of fission-fusion dynamics, i.e., temporal variation in group size and composition, on social complexity has been studied in large-brained mammals that rely on social bonds.
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