Relationship Between Object Neophobia and Sociality in Zebra Finches

Group living provides a number of benefits to individuals, including potential safety prom predators, improved foraging efficiency, and increased access to potential social partners. These benefits are contingent upon animals coordinating their behavior, which may require that individuals alter their independent behavior based on what the collective group is doing. Zebra finches (Taeniopygiaguttata) are a highly gregarious species of songbird that regularly interact in large groups, making them ideal for studying how individual behavior impacts group-level interactions. In the present study, individual zebra finches were exposed to a novel object in order to assess their willingness to interact with a previously unfamiliar stimulus. Responses to these novel objects were then compared to behavior in a free-flying aviary over the course of 22 days in order to determine if behavior in isolation is predictive of social interactions in a large group. Results from this study will therefore help to clarify the connection between individual behavioral traits and group interactions