scholarly journals Introductory gestures before songbird vocal displays are shaped by learning and biological predispositions

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1943) ◽  
pp. 20202796
Author(s):  
Shikha Kalra ◽  
Vishruta Yawatkar ◽  
Logan S James ◽  
Jon T Sakata ◽  
Raghav Rajan
Keyword(s):  
Specific Structure ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
Similar Variation ◽  
Head Bobbing ◽  
Species Specific

Numerous animal displays begin with introductory gestures. For example, lizards start their head-bobbing displays with introductory push-ups, and many songbirds begin their vocal displays by repeating introductory notes (INs) before producing their learned song. Among songbirds, the acoustic structure and the number of INs produced before song vary considerably between individuals in a species. While similar variation in songs between individuals is a result of learning, whether variations in INs are also due to learning remains poorly understood. Here, using natural and experimental tutoring with male zebra finches, we show that mean IN number and IN acoustic structure are learned from a tutor. Interestingly, IN properties and how well INs were learned, were not correlated with the accuracy of song imitation and only weakly correlated with some features of songs that followed. Finally, birds artificially tutored with songs lacking INs still repeated vocalizations that resembled INs, before their songs, suggesting biological predispositions in IN production. These results demonstrate that INs, just like song elements, are shaped both by learning and biological predispositions. More generally, our results suggest mechanisms for generating variation in introductory gestures between individuals while still maintaining the species-specific structure of complex displays like birdsong.

scholarly journals Introductory gestures before songbird vocal displays are shaped by learning and biological predispositions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shikha Kalra ◽  
Vishruta Yawatkar ◽  
Logan S James ◽  
Jon T Sakata ◽  
Raghav Rajan
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
Motor Preparation ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
Similar Variation ◽  
Head Bobbing

ABSTRACTIntroductory gestures are present at the beginning of many animal displays. For example, lizards start their head-bobbing displays with introductory push-ups and animal vocal displays begin with introductory notes. Songbirds also begin their vocal displays by repeating introductory notes (INs) before producing their learned song and these INs are thought to reflect motor preparation. Between individuals of a given species, the acoustic structure of INs and the number of times INs are repeated before song varies considerably. While similar variation in songs between individuals is known to be a result of learning, whether INs are also learned remains poorly understood. Here, using natural and experimental tutoring with male zebra finches, we show that mean IN number and IN acoustic structure are learned from a tutor, independent of song learning. We also reveal biological predispositions in IN production; birds artificially tutored with songs lacking INs still repeated a short-duration syllable, thrice on average, before their songs. Overall, these results show that INs, just like elements in song, are shaped both by learning and biological predispositions and suggest multiple, independent, learning processes underlying the acquisition of complex vocal displays.

scholarly journals Song discrimination learning in zebra finches induces highly divergent responses to novel songs

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1607) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Machteld N Verzijden ◽  
Eric Etman ◽  
Caroline van Heijningen ◽  
Marianne van der Linden ◽  
Carel ten Cate
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Learning ◽  
Peak Shift ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Signal Evolution ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Song Discrimination ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Element Sequence

Perceptual biases can shape the evolution of signal form. Understanding the origin and direction of such biases is therefore crucial for understanding signal evolution. Many animals learn about species-specific signals. Discrimination learning using simple stimuli varying in one dimension (e.g. amplitude, wavelength) can result in perceptual biases with preferences for specific novel stimuli, depending on the stimulus dimensions. We examine how this translates to discrimination learning involving complex communication signals; birdsongs. Zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) were trained to discriminate between two artificial songs, using a Go/No-Go procedure. The training songs in experiment 1 differed in the number of repeats of a particular element. The songs in experiment 2 differed in the position of an odd element in a series of repeated elements. We examined generalization patterns by presenting novel songs with more or fewer repeated elements (experiment 1), or with the odd element earlier or later in the repeated element sequence (experiment 2). Control birds were trained with only one song. The generalization curves obtained from (i) control birds, (ii) experimental birds in experiment 1, and (iii) experimental birds in experiment 2 showed large and systematic differences from each other. Birds in experiment 1, but not 2, responded more strongly to specific novel songs than to training songs, showing ‘peak shift’. The outcome indicates that learning about communication signals may give rise to perceptual biases that may drive signal evolution.

scholarly journals Zebra finches exhibit speaker-independent phonetic perception of human speech

2009 ◽  
Vol 277 (1684) ◽  
pp. 1003-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena R. Ohms ◽  
Arike Gill ◽  
Caroline A. A. Van Heijningen ◽  
Gabriel J. L. Beckers ◽  
Carel ten Cate
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Speaker Normalization ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
Phonetic Perception ◽  
Speaker Independent ◽  
Monosyllabic Words ◽  
Perceptual Abilities

Humans readily distinguish spoken words that closely resemble each other in acoustic structure, irrespective of audible differences between individual voices or sex of the speakers. There is an ongoing debate about whether the ability to form phonetic categories that underlie such distinctions indicates the presence of uniquely evolved, speech-linked perceptual abilities, or is based on more general ones shared with other species. We demonstrate that zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) can discriminate and categorize monosyllabic words that differ in their vowel and transfer this categorization to the same words spoken by novel speakers independent of the sex of the voices. Our analysis indicates that the birds, like humans, use intrinsic and extrinsic speaker normalization to make the categorization. This finding shows that there is no need to invoke special mechanisms, evolved together with language, to explain this feature of speech perception.

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.

The Effects of Cross-Fostering On Selective Song Learning in Estrildid Finches

Behaviour ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 109 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 163-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.S. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Bengalese Finch ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Foster Father ◽  
Cross Fostering ◽  
Specific Learning

AbstractMale zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, which have been cross-fostered to Bengalesc finches, Lonchura striata, learn Bengalese finch song elements with as much accuracy as a male learning from his natural father. However, these elements are sung in phrases which are more nearly zebra finch length and lack the repetitiveness typical of the elements in a Bengalese finch phrase. Male Bengalese finches are also capable of learning song from a zebra finch foster-father. Males vary substantially but they tend to produce fewer, more widely spaced zebra finch elements in a Bengalese finch-length phrase. Both species show selective song learning and it is suggested that phrase length and the absence or presence of repeated elements might act as important cues for species-specific learning. Cross-fostered Bengalese finches seem to learn less than cross-fostered zebra finches: possible reasons for this are discussed.

Species‐specific perceptual processes in budgerigars, canaries, and zebra finches

1990 ◽  
Vol 88 (S1) ◽  
pp. S34-S34
Author(s):  
Susan D. Brown ◽  
Robert S. Dooling ◽  
Kazuo Okanoya
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Species Specific

scholarly journals Ability to modulate birdsong across social contexts develops without imitative social learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 20170777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Logan S. James ◽  
Jennifer B. Dai ◽  
Jon T. Sakata
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
The Social ◽  
Courtship Songs ◽  
Temporal Structures

Many important behaviours are socially learned. For example, the acoustic structure of courtship songs in songbirds is learned by listening to and interacting with conspecifics during a sensitive period in development. Signallers modify the spectral and temporal structures of their vocalizations depending on the social context, but the degree to which this modulation requires imitative social learning remains unknown. We found that male zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) that were not exposed to context-dependent song modulations throughout development significantly modulated their song in ways that were typical of socially reared birds. Furthermore, the extent of these modulations was not significantly different between finches that could or could not observe these modulations during tutoring. These data suggest that this form of vocal flexibility develops without imitative social learning in male zebra finches.

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