Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social feedback and attractiveness in zebra finches

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The attractiveness of an individual (i.e. its ability to arouse interest in a potential mate) has important implications for its reproductive success. However, attractiveness is not a fixed trait. Previous work has shown that male birds can adjust the intensity of their courtship display in response to variation in female behaviour, but little is known about how males adjust their behaviour during mate choice in response to social feedback about their own attractiveness independent of their intrinsic quality. Such information may help to maximize the potential mating success of males. Here, we provide experimental evidence that the amount of attention given by male zebra finches to females is dependent upon the manipulated attractiveness of males. This demonstrates that, in this socially monogamous species of bird, attractiveness of males could be considered to be a social construct, at least partially determined via social feedback from females.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Burley NT, Foster VS (2006) Variation in female choice of mates: condition influences selectivity. Anim Behav 72:713–719

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burley N, Krantzberg G, Radman P (1982) Influence of colour-banding on the conspecific preferences of zebra finches. Anim Behav 30:444–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buston PM, Emlen ST (2003) Cognitive processes underlying human mate choice: the relationship between self-perception and mate preference in Western society. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:8805–8810

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell DLM, Hauber ME (2009) The disassociation of visual and acoustic conspecific cues decreases discrimination by female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). J Comp Psychol 123:310–315

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clayton NS (1990) Mate choice and pair formation in Timor and Australian mainland zebra finches. Anim Behav 39:474–480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins SA (1994) Male displays: cause or effect of female preference? Anim Behav 48:371–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins SA (1995) The effect of recent experience on female choice in zebra finches. Anim Behav 49:479–486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawley MJ (2002) Statistical computing. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuthill IC, Hunt S, Cleary C, Clark C (1997) Colour bands, dominance, and body mass regulation in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Proc R Soc Lond B 264:1093–1099

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emery NJ, Seed AJ, von Bayern AMP, Clayton NS (2007) Cognitive adaptations of social bonding in birds. Phil Trans R Soc B 362:489–505

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Forstmeier W, Birkhead TR (2004) Repeatability of mate choice in the zebra finch: consistency within and among females. Anim Behav 68:1017–1028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godin J-GJ, Briggs SE (1996) Female mate choice under predation risk in the guppy. Anim Behav 51:117–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong A, Gibson RM (1996) Reversal of a female preference after visual exposure to a predator in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Anim Behav 52:1007–1015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hauber ME, Sherman PW (2001) Self-referent phenotype matching: theoretical considerations and empirical evidence. Trends Neurosci 24:609–616

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauber ME, Sherman PW, Paprika D (2000) Self-referent phenotype matching in a brood parasite: the armpit effect in brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Anim Cogn 3:113–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houston AI, McNamara JM (2002) A self-consistent approach to paternity and parental effort. Phil Trans R Soc B 357:351–362

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu Y, Wolf LL (2001) The winner and loser effect: what fighting behaviours are influenced? Anim Behav 61:777–786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes KA, Du L, Rodd FH, Reznick DN (1999) Familiarity leads to female mate preference for novel males in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Anim Behav 58:907–916

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jirotkul M (1999) Operational sex ratio influences female preference and male–male competition in guppies. Anim Behav 58:287–294

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JB, Basolo AL (2003) Predator exposure alters female mate choice in the green swordtail. Behav Ecol 14:619–625

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kokko H, Brooks R, Jennions MD, Morley J (2003) The evolution of mate choice and mating biases. Proc R Soc Lond B 270:653–664

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little AC, Burt DM, Penton-Voak IS, Perrett DI (2001) Self-perceived attractiveness influences human female preferences for sexual dimorphism and symmetry in male faces. Proc R Soc Lond B 268:39–44

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pariser EC, Mariette MM, Griffith SC (2010) Artificial ornaments manipulate intrinsic male quality in wild caught zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Behav Ecol 21:264–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Patricelli GL, Albert J, Uy C, Walsh G, Borgia G (2002) Male displays adjusted to female’s response. Nature 415:279–280

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riebel K (2003) Developmental influences on auditory perception in female zebra finches—is there a sensitive phase for song preference learning? Anim Biol 53:73–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds JD, Gross MR, Coombs MJ (1993) Environmental conditions and male morphology determine alternative mating behavior in Trinidadian guppies. Anim Behav 45:145–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Royle NJ, Hartley IR, Parker GA (2002) Sexual conflict reduces offspring fitness in zebra finches. Nature 416:733–736

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Royle NJ, Lindström J, Metcalfe NB (2008) Context-dependent mate choice in relation to social composition in green swordtails Xiphophorus helleri. Behav Ecol 19:998–1005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutstein AN, Brazill-Boast J, Griffith SC (2007) Evaluating mate choice in the zebra finch. Anim Behav 74:1277–1284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Safran RJ, Neuman CR, McGraw KJ, Lovette IJ (2005) Dynamic paternity allocation as a function of male plumage color in barn swallows. Science 309:2210–2212

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Safran RJ, Adelman JS, McGraw KJ, Hau M (2008) Sexual signal exaggeration affects physiological state in male barn swallows. Curr Biol 18:R461–R462

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schielzeth H, Burgera C, Bolundaand E, Forstmeier W (2008) Assortative versus disassortative mating preferences of female zebra finches based on self-referent phenotype matching. Anim Behav 76:1927–1934

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Senar JC, Domènech J, Camerino M (2005) Female siskins choose mates by the size of the yellow wing stripe. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 57:465–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ten Cate C, Mug G (1984) The development of mate choice in zebra finch females. Behaviour 90:125–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Todd PM, Penke L, Fasolo B, Lenton AP (2007) Different cognitive processes underlie human mate choices and mate preferences. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:15011–15016

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wachtmeister C-A (2001) Display in monogamous pairs: a review of empirical data and evolutionary explanations. Anim Behav 61:861–868

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welch AM (2003) Genetic benefits of a female mating preference in gray tree frogs are context-dependent. Evolution 57:883–893

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Witte K (2006) The time spent with a male is a good indicator of mate preference in female zebra finches. Ethol Ecol Evol 18:195–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong RY, Hopkins CD (2007) Electrical and behavioral courtship displays in the mormyrid fish Brienomyrus brachyistius. J Exp Biol 210:2244–2252

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wynn SE, Price T (1993) Male and female mate choice in zebra finches. Auk 110:635–638

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

NJR was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council on fellowship NE/C002199/1 and TWP by the Natural Environment Research Council on grant NER/A/S/2003/00490 to Jan Lindström, Neil Metcalfe and Jon Blount.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Nick J. Royle & Thomas W. Pike

    Present address: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK

    Nick J. Royle & Thomas W. Pike

Authors
  1. Nick J. Royle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas W. Pike
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nick J. Royle.

Additional information

Communicated by M. Hauber

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Royle, N.J., Pike, T.W. Social feedback and attractiveness in zebra finches. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 64, 2015–2020 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-010-1013-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-010-1013-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation