Project properties
Title Animal Communication: Song variability in wild zebra finches. How do zebra finches code information in their song?
Group Behavioural Ecology
Project type thesis
Credits 12-36
Supervisor(s) Hugo Loning; Marc Naguib
Examiner(s) Marc Naguib
Contact info hugo.loning@wur.nl
Begin date 2025/01/01
End date
Description We know that many bird species sing to attract a partner and to defend their territory. Zebra finches, monogamous songbirds that live in the Australian desert, are not territorial and find a partner very early in life. Despite this, they keep singing. Although their song has been the subject of many lab-based song studies, we do not fully understand why they sing in the wild.

Do they use their song for other functions than mate attraction? Is there other information, such as breeding condition or willingness to breed, coded into their song? Or do their songs mostly serve as nametags? How does their song activity link to environmental conditions such as weather, season and time of day? These and other questions can be addressed by studying their vocal communication. We have recordings from various contexts which allow for the investigation of these (and other) questions. During this project you will learn audio analysis, conduct statistical analyses and learn much about animal communication in general and birdsong specifically.

Data-based projects can be started in every period, whereas we also sometimes take a very limited number of students (on their own costs) to join for fieldwork at the field site in Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research station in Australia (this usually takes place somewhere between September and December).

More information on the topic can be found in our published papers on the topic, and feel free to contact Hugo Loning if this sounds interesting to you and you want to learn more about this opportunity.
Used skills Bioacoustic analysis
Requirements BSc thesis: Animal Behaviour BHE20303, MSc thesis: Behavioural Ecology BHE30306