Vocal imitation in zebra finches is inversely related to model abundance

A juvenile male zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, kept singly with its fath er develops a fairly complete imitation of the father's song. The imitation is less complete when other male siblings are present, possibly because as imitation commences, model abundance increases. Here we examine the conseq uences of allowing more or less access to a song model. Young males heard a brief song playback when they pecked at a key, but different males were al lowed to hear different numbers of playbacks per day. Using an automated pr ocedure that scored the similarity between model and pupil songs, we discov ered that 40 playbacks of the song motif per day, lasting a total of 30 sec , resulted in a fairly complete imitation. More exposure led to less comple te imitation. Vocal imitation often may reflect the interaction of diverse influences. Among these, we should now include the possible inhibitory effe ct of model overabundance, which may foster individual identity and explain the Vocal diversity found in zebra finches and other songbirds.