Pair bonding in the zebra finch

Abstract

The overall aim of this thesis is to provide a clear descriptive account of pair formation and bond maintenance in the Zebra Finch. Factors important in the processes involved are assessed and the hope, explained at the outset, is to provide a clear grounding upon which future work can be based. The first three sections of the work review and analyse the background to this bird species. Types of pair bonding in birds are discussed and the general biology of the Zebra Finch is explained in detail. Section 3 deals with the behavioural displays observed during the course of the present study and reviews such observations as have been made in the light of the literature. One display, described probably for the first time, is an 'intense head-forward threat' posture which was previously thought to be absent from the behavioural repertoire of this species.