"We expect this to apply to birds as well," said Bednekoff, although wild birds are harder to study with the same experimental approach because they can fly away with their food.
"Some of the potential practical areas are in understanding (an animal’s) misperception of human-altered habitat," said Bednekoff.
For instance, some changes in habitat might mislead animals to think they are safer when they are not, or in danger when they are not. A good example of the former situation is the plight of many native animals in New Zealand and Australia. These critters are unused to predators and now face a threat from housecats.
There’s also just the way the lay of the land changes — and hence the view — with human activities, Bednekoff said. "We tend to really open things up or let things get really brushy."
All of this can have big impacts on the way animals behave — either exposing them to predators or wasting their energy with unnecessary vigilance.
It may also be important to consider that eyesight is not the only factor involved in the vigilance and eating equation, Bednekoff said. There are also sound and scents.
"One of the things we’ve wondered about is how much eating interferes with hearing," Bednekoff told Discovery News. It may be equally important for squirrels and other prey to stop chewing every now and then to listen and sniff the air, regardless of the view.
