VARIATIONS IN ZEBRA FINCH SONG COPYING: AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP WITH TUTOR SONG QUALITY AND PUPIL BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

Summary In this study we explore whether individual differences in zebra e nch ( Taeniopygia guttata ) song copying covary with differences in tutor song characteristics and pupil behaviour. To this end, we combined data from two earlier studies, in which forty young males were tapetutored. We found no clear evidence that the eight different tutor songs, each of which was used to tutor e ve pupils, varied in degree in which they were copied by the pupils. Degree of song copying was not related to the characteristics of the tutor songs’ phrase structure or elements, although the most frequent elements were copied most. However, we did e nd a relationship between song copying and the pupil’s response to the tutor song: the pupils that approached the tutor song most frequently, and that were more silent after playback, also were the best copiers. These results e t the emerging notion that song learning in zebra e nches may be a process in which many different aspects contribute to the eventual result.