These Finches Have A Favorite Color, And Nothing Their Friends Can Say Will Change Their Minds Those with a higher affinity for one color were less likely to change their mind when influenced by their peers.

These Finches Have A Favorite Color, And Nothing Their Friends Can Say Will Change Their Minds www.iflscience.com/these-finche...

Conformity and individual preference shape nest material use in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) Culture, learned behaviours shared within a group, is found in diverse species and critically impacts fitness. Culture arises through social learning and persists when newcomers adopt group norms via conformity and conformist transmission. We examined conformity and conformist transmission in a novel context: avian nest building, testing whether male zebra finches, the primary nest builders in this species, forgo their preferred nest material colour in favour of the majority-demonstrated alternative, and whether the likelihood of switching was disproportionate relative to majority size. First, we determined each male’s preferred colour and preference strength. Then, each male, paired with a female, was introduced into a population containing four conspecific pairs, each incubating eggs in a nest. Populations varied in the number of nests (0–4) built using the male’s non-preferred colour material. After three days, males were given both material colours for nest construction. Males with weaker preferences were more likely to conform, using the majority-demonstrated, non-preferred colour, whereas males with stronger preferences resisted social influence. Although males often acquired social information – evidenced by their initial interactions with the majority-demonstrated material – this did not consistently translate into conformist nest-building behaviour. These findings show socially influenced nest-building and individual variation in susceptibility to social information.

New ACRG open-access paper by first-author (and recent MSc recipient) Julia Self : Conformity and individual preference shape nest material use in zebra finches https://bit.ly/460cQpT

Stefan Stanescu Ben Whittaker PsychUAlberta

Had a lovely time talking cognition and ecology (and putting my French skills to the test) at the Société Québécoise pour l'Étude Biologique du Comportement this weekend :) ⚜️

A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia Neophobia (the aversive response to novelty) varies considerably across species and individuals, and can impact adaptability and survival. This study assesses neophobia in 1400 subjects from 136 bird species across 25 orders, identifying phylogenetic influences and broad ecological drivers of neophobia.

New paper with 129 collaborators from 82 institutions in 24 countries across six continents, five of these are Animal Cognition Research Groups members! dx.plos.org/10.1371/...

@ba-whittaker.bsky.social @psychualberta.bsky.social

Chickening out: Why some birds fear novelty The largest-ever study on neophobia, or fear of novelty, has discovered the key reasons why some bird species are more fearful of new things than others.

Bird species with specialized diets and migratory habits tend to show higher fear of novelty, a stable trait that may influence their adaptability to environmental change. doi.org/g96v62

A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia Neophobia (the aversive response to novelty) varies considerably across species and individuals, and can impact adaptability and survival. This study assesses neophobia in 1400 subjects from 136 bird ...

New paper on fear of novelty in birds: 129 collaborators, 82 institutions, 24 countries, and 6 continents! 5 from the lab of Dr @laurenguillette.bsky.social

(also featuring Connor Lambert, Stefan Stanescu, Karen Yeung, and Dr Ben Whittaker) @ba-whittaker.bsky.social

dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...