Problem solving tasks aren’t a purely human experience. Intelligent, non-human species must also learn and change based on new challenges in their environment. Previous research has shown that avian species are able to adapt and solve simple tasks placed before them. We also have substantial insight into how these species react to stressors in their environment. This study explores the impact of intellectually demanding tasks on stress responses and the potentially moderating impact of social factors on both task performance and stress indices. In this study, captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a highly social and intelligent species, were subject to a challenge placed in their environment. This challenge included a barrier that had to be maneuvered around to obtain food, which deviated from the normal way feed is accessed. Hormone testing was completed along with behavioral analysis to contrast responses among varying social settings. We hypothesized that problem-solving tasks would induce a stress response and result in a reallocation of energy away from other biological activities (reproduction, self-repair, etc.), as measured through corticosterone, testosterone, and osteocalcin levels. We also believe that task performance will stay the same for individuals but vary across sex and social rank, and that this performance will decrease, and stress levels increase when the opportunity for social learning is taken away. This research may clarify basic features of social organization and intellectual processing, as well as hold implications for the evolution of intelligence and sociality.