The Role of Experience in the Nest Building of the Zebra Finch

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Abstract
Experiments were carried out with caged Zebra Finches (Poephila guttata) to determine whether nestling and fledgling experiences would influence the 1st nest buildings of these birds and whether previous nesting experiences would influence subsequent nestings. The experiments involved presenting choices of materials (brown, green, and red burlap strands), substrates (nesting cups and nesting boxes), and "habitats" (insides of the cages and wood-enclosed extension areas outside the cages) to breeding pairs of finches. The rearing experience affected the selection of materials and habitats, but not substrates, in birds nesting for the 1st time. The fledging period was apparently more important than the nestling period for the acquisition of information about the rearing nests. Renesting birds tended to select the materials, substrates, and habitats of their preceding nests. Selections varied, depending upon the particular choices presented, and it was concluded that nest building in this species involves an interaction of innate and learned components.

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