Pair-bond strength is consistent and related to partner responsiveness in a wild corvid

The need to maintain strong social bonds is widely held to be a key driver of cognitive evolution. This assumes that the maintenance of strong bonds is a stable trait that is cognitively demanding but generates fitness benefits, and so can come under selection. However, these fundamental micro-evolutionary tenets have yet to be tested together within a single study system. Combining observational and experimental behavioural data with long-term breeding records, we tested four key assumptions in wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula), corvids whose long-term pair-bonds exemplify the putative social drivers of cognitive evolution in birds. We found support for three assumptions: (1) pair-bond strength varies across the population, (2) is consistent within pairs over time and (3) is positively associated with a measure of socio-cognitive performance. However, we did not find evidence that stronger pair-bonds lead to better fitness outcomes (prediction 4). While strongly bonded pairs were better able to adjust hatching synchrony to environmental conditions, they did not fledge more or higher quality offspring. Together, these findings provide important evidence that the maintenance of strong pair bonds is linked to socio-cognitive performance and facilitates effective coordination between partners. However, they also imply that these benefits may not be sufficient to explain how selection acts on social cognition. We argue that evaluating how animals navigate trade-offs between investing in long-term relationships versus optimising interactions in their wider social networks will be a crucial avenue for future research.