scholarly journals Horizontal transmission of the father's song in the zebra finch ( Taeniopygia guttata )

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 20130247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Derégnaucourt ◽  
Manfred Gahr
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Potential Models ◽  
Imitative Learning ◽  
Human Speech ◽  
Male Zebra Finch

As is the case for human speech, birdsong is transmitted across generations by imitative learning. Although transfer of song patterns from adults to juveniles typically occurs via vertical or oblique transmission, there is also evidence of horizontal transmission between juveniles of the same generation. Here, we show that a young male zebra finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ) that has been exposed to its father during the sensitive period for song learning can lead a brother, that has never heard the paternal song, to imitate some sounds of the father. Moreover, song similarity between the two brothers was higher than the similarity measured between the paternal song and the song of the brother that had a week-long exposure to the father. We speculate that the phenomenon of within-generation song learning among juveniles may be more widespread than previously thought and that when a juvenile evaluates potential models for imitative learning, a sibling may be as salient as an adult.

The Role of Aggression in Song Tutor Choice in the Zebra Finch: Cause or Effect?

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.E. Jones ◽  
P.J.B. Slater
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Relative Level ◽  
Young Bird ◽  
Sensitive Phase

AbstractYoung male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) normally copy their song from one tutor when given a choice of two. Interaction is known to be a key feature of the learning process and this study examines the way in which one particular type of social behaviour, aggression, may affect tutor choice. Female raised zebra finches were given a choice of two song tutors, which had been pre-selected for differing levels of aggression, during the sensitive phase for song learning. A young bird was significantly more likely to learn from the tutor that was more aggressive to him, as found earlier by Clayton (1987). In addition, behavioural observations suggest that aggression towards the young bird was the cause rather than an effect of tutor choice. There was no significant relationship between the relative level of tutor aggression and the amount of his song copied. Changes in the level of aggression over the tutoring period are also discussed.

Birdsong learning in the laboratory, with especial reference to the song of the Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Derégnaucourt
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Young Bird ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Vocal imitation in songbirds exhibits interesting parallels to infant speech development and is currently the model system of choice for exploring the behavioural, molecular and electrophysiological substrates of vocal learning. Among songbirds, the Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is currently used as the ‘flying mouse’ of birdsong research. Only males sing and they develop their song primarily during a short sensitive period in early life. They learn their speciesspecific song patterns by memorizing and imitating the songs of conspecifics, mainly adults. Since Immelmann's pioneering work, thousands of zebra finches have been raised in strictly controlled auditory environments to examine how their experience affected their songs. In this article, I review the different experimental procedures that have been used in the laboratory to study the social influences on song learning in the Zebra Finch. Poor song learning was observed using passive playback of taped songs, whereas self-eliciting exposure using operant tutoring techniques induced significant learning, but with a high interindividual variability. The success of the training paradigm is often measured by the quality of imitation of the songs to which the young bird is exposed. Using empirical evidence from the field and the laboratory, I will also discuss this issue, by summarizing possible advantages and disadvantages of producing a perfect imitation. So far, the best method to get a close copy of a song model in the Zebra Finch is to place a single young bird with an adult male. This situation, which is rather unnatural, does not meet the criteria for precise control necessary in experimental conditions. Optimizing the methods used to train a zebra finch to learn a song, in order to be able to predict the imitation success, will improve our understanding of the dynamics of vocal production learning. It would also consolidate this species as a research model of relevance to human speech development and disorders. Keywords: Zebra Finch; birdsong; learning; development; memory; social influences

Do Contingencies with Tutor Behaviour Influence Song Learning in Zebra Finches?

Behaviour ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Houx ◽  
Carel Ten Cate
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Sensitive Phase ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Juvenile Males

AbstractSocial interaction with a song tutor is often found to be important for the song learning process in songbirds, but the mechanism is still unclear. The main aim of this study is to find indications for contingencies between singing and interactive behaviours, between and within tutors and tutees, which might influence the song learning process of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). To this end we observed the interactions of eleven juvenile zebra finch males with their fathers (the tutors) and their mothers during the sensitive phase for song learning, and examined four different types of possible contingencies. The evidence for these contingencies was not very strong: (1) We found some weak indications that a tutee can anticipate tutor song by preceding tutor behaviour. There were no indications that (2) tutor song is contingent upon subsequent behaviour of the tutor, that (3) juvenile males can control singing of their tutor by preceding operant social behaviour, or that (4) social behaviour of the tutor reinforces singing of the tutee. We found some indications that the juvenile males attend actively to the tutor song. Furthermore, we found that the juvenile males maintained more mutual interactions with their father than with their mother. In general, we did not find any clear relationship between aspects of social interaction and song copying in zebra finches.

Song Tutor Choice in Zebra Finches and Bengalese Finches: the Relative Importance of Visual and Vocal Cues

Behaviour ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 104 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 281-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.S. Clay-Ton
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Bengalese Finch ◽  
Vocal Cues ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Zebra Finch Song

AbstractThis paper examined the relative importance of visual and vocal cues for song tutor choice. In the first study zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, and Bengalese finches, Lonchura striata, were housed with two song tutors at independence, a zebra finch singing Bengalese finch song and a Bengalese finch singing zebra finch song. All the males tended to learn from the conspecific song tutor, irrespective of whether they had been raised by a pair of conspecifics, the female alone or cross-fostered to a pair of the other species. In the second study zebra finches were housed at independence with two conspecific song tutors, one with a normal song and one which sang Bengalese finch song elements. There was no tendency to learn zebra finch elements which suggests that species-specific elements are not important for song tutor choice in zebra finches. Other vocal differences between the tutors such as length of the song phrase and species-specific call notes might bias learning in favour of the conspecific. Visual differences between the two species, both in appearance and behaviour, seem to be important. Parental cues before independence appear to be relatively uninfluential. However, siblings may be important, both the species and number per clutch: this is a factor which has been overlooked in previous studies of song learning.

scholarly journals Stabilization of Sexual Preferences By Sexual Experience in Male Zebra Finches Taeniopygia Guttata Castanotis

Behaviour ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 118 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 144-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicky Clayton ◽  
Hans-Joachim Bischof
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Sexual Partner ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Second Step ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Sexual Preferences ◽  
Bengalese Finch ◽  
Choice Tests

AbstractMale zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata castanotis, were normally-raised by zebra finches or were cross-fostered to Bengalese finch, Lonchura striata, foster-parents until 40 days of age. Following isolation until day 100, half the birds in each group were housed with a zebra finch female for seven days, isolated for three days and then housed with a Bengalese finch female for seven days. The other birds were exposed to females in the reverse order. Subsequent double-choice tests showed that all the normally-raised birds preferred zebra finch females whereas the preferences of cross-fostered males depended on the order of exposure to the two females: those exposed first to a Bengalese finch female preferred Bengalese finch females whereas of those exposed first to a zebra finch female, some preferred zebra finches, some preferred Bengalese finches and some showed no marked preference for either female. In order to examine the question of why the latter group showed such marked individual variation in their sexual preferences, a further group of males were cross-fostered to Bengalese finches and exposed to a zebra finch female and then to a Bengalese finch female and their behaviours were observed from day 21 until day 40 and for the two, seven-day periods with the females. The results show that, when comparing brothers within clutches, the one that begs and is fed more by by its foster-parents develops a stronger preference for Bengalese finch females and that the more song phrases a male directs to the zebra finch female during the first seven-day period, the stronger the sexual preference for zebra finch females in the double-choice tests. Hence, our results confirm and extend those of IMMELMANN et al. (1991) and KRUIJT & MEEUWISSEN (1991) that sexual imprinting may be a two step process. As a first step, information about the parents is learnt during a sensitive period early in life. In a second step, this information has to be tested for its validity for the selection of a sexual partner during first courtship encounters. It is this second step where the previously stored information is stabilized in memory. Giving conflicting information during the first and the second step, one can show that interactions between the young male and its parents as well as with its first sexual partner influence the final preference it shows in subsequent double choice tests.

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