Egocentric representation in domestic chicks (Gallus gallus): Insights from a spatial navigation task

Egocentric representation is a spatial reference system based on one’s body position, such as identifying a chair as being on the right, two metres away. This contrasts with allocentric representation, which relies on external landmarks with fixed spatial relationships, such as locating a building on a map. Successful navigation integrates both systems and underpins environmental navigation in humans and non-human species. This study investigates whether domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) can use egocentric coordinates to locate a food source. Seventy-five three-day-old chicks were trained to navigate a rectangular maze. Each trial began with a chick placed in front of a transparent wall on the maze's long side, through which it observed an experimenter baiting a jar in the arena's centre with a mealworm. To access the jar, the chick had to navigate to the arena’s opposite side, viewing the jar from a mirrored egocentric perspective. Once acclimated, chicks were presented with two jars during testing. If relying on egocentric coordinates, a chick would need to reverse its initial left-right perception to select the correct jar. Unexpectedly, chicks chose randomly between the jars, both at group and individual levels. These findings suggest chicks may not rely on egocentric coordinates alone or struggle to integrate this reference system with a rotated mental image of their surroundings . Possible explanations include methodological limitations and insights from prior research on spatial navigation in chicks and other species, offering a comparative perspective on spatial cognition.