22 July 2004
Playing to the audience
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The influence of sociality on animals' cognitive abilities is a hot topic in evolutionary biology. In primates there is evidence to support the social intelligence hypothesis, that social context drives the selection of abilities such as the capacity to estimate social relationships between other individuals. Despite its potential importance in evolution, this has been tested only in primates. Now an investigation in zebra finches, the most thoroughly studied songbirds, suggests they too can gauge social relationships between group mates. When a male is in the presence of un-mated companions, it responds equally to calls from its own mate and from other females. In the presence of a male-female mated pair, it responds more strongly to its own mate. On the cover, a male zebra finch (top right), mate, and onlookers.
Audience drives male songbird response to partner's
voice
CL�MENTINE VIGNAL, NICOLAS MATHEVON & ST�PHANE
MOTTIN
Nature 430, 448–451 (2004); doi:10.1038/nature02645
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Animal behaviour: A social call
CHRISTOPHER B. STURDY
An indicator of animal intelligence is thought to be the ability to judge
relationships between members of the same species. This talent, previously
seen only in primates, seems to be evident in a bird.
Nature 430, 414 (2004); doi:10.1038/430414a
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