Meeting Abstract
Social interactions are critical for normative development across species. Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are a highly social songbird that interact both at a pair and flock level. Adolescent social experience with conspecifics is necessary for the development of species-typical social behavior in zebra finches. In the present experiment, zebra finch chicks were raised by either both parents (biparental) or their mother only (uniparental) to assess the impact of differences in rearing environment on adult social behavior. After reaching adulthood, male (n = 10) and female (n = 9) zebra finches were released into an aviary equipped with two feeding stations that recorded individual ID numbers. During the 22 day data collection period, there were 20,658 recorded visits to the feeding stations, representing 2,045 co-feeding events. Data were analyzed using social network analysis to examine connectedness among flock mates. Male finches raised in the biparental condition demonstrated a trend for increased social integration compared to males raised in the uniparental condition, as assessed through weighted degree (a measure combining the number of associations an individual has and the proportion of co-feeding events shared with each flock mate). Female finches demonstrated no difference in weighted degree based on rearing condition. These findings indicate that differences in rearing environment have a long-term impact on social foraging behavior in male, but not female, zebra finches.
