| isolation of salmonella typhimurium from zebra finches (poephila guttata). | salmonella typhimurium was isolated from a fresh fecal sample of zebra finches (poephila guttata) in december 1992 on an aviary where a large scale outbreak of s. typhimurium infection among bengalees (a variety of lonchura striata) in 1991 had been recorded. the isolates from zebra finches were examined for antibiotic sensitivity and plasmids, which were 60 mdal, then they showed the same pattern as those of s. typhimurium isolated at the previous outbreak. this is the first report of s. typhim ... | 1995 | 7756407 |
| an outbreak of salmonella typhimurium infection in bengalees, a variety of lonchura striata. | bengalees (a variety of lonchura striata) in an aviary in nagano prefecture died of severe diarrhea in 1991. pathological examination revealed slight enlargement of the liver and spleen. histopathologically, necrotic granulomatous lesions were seen in the liver. salmonella typhimurium was isolated from the main organs and fecal samples. no evidence of newcastle disease or chlamydiosis was detected. the disease was finally diagnosed as s. typhimurium infection in bengalees. in spite of some count ... | 1993 | 8117812 |
| infectivity of salmonella typhimurium isolated from the bengalee to chickens. | due to its importance in public health, the infectivity of salmonella typhimurium (s. typhimurium) originating from the bengalee, a variety of lonchura striata, was examined in 3-day-old chickens. when chickens were inoculated orally with 10(4) cfu or 10(8) cfu of s. typhimurium isolated from the bengalee and observed for 7 days, salmonella was found in cloacal swabs from both groups. s. typhimurium was also recovered from the liver, spleen and cecal of all the birds, and the counts in the cecal ... | 1996 | 8811623 |
| infectivity and persistence of salmonella typhimurium for bengalees, a variety of lonchura striata, using an isolate from a bengalee. | due to its importance in public health, salmonella typhimurium originating from a naturally infected bengalee (lonchura striata), a common cage bird, was examined for its infectivity and persistence for the same species. eight birds per group for each experiment were used. when bengalees were inoculated orally with 10(2), 10(4) or 10(5) colony forming units (cfu) of s. typhimurium and observed for 7 days, all the birds receiving 10(5) cfu were positive for the organism in the liver, spleen or th ... | 1996 | 8996699 |
| distinction of neurochemistry between the cores and their shells of auditory nuclei in tetrapod species. | the distribution of met-enkephalin (enk), substance p (sp) and serotonin (5-ht) differs between the core and shell regions of the mesencephalic and diencephalic auditory nuclei of the turtle [belekhova et al., 2002]. these neurochemical distinctions are also found in other tetrapods (mammals, birds and amphibians). the distribution of enk, sp and 5-ht was examined in the core and shell regions of both mesencephalic and diencephalic auditory nuclei, and in the telencephalic auditory areas of beng ... | 2007 | 17389792 |
| expression analysis of cadherins in the songbird brain: relationship to vocal system development. | songbirds learn their songs as juveniles. the brains of songbirds have a series of nuclei and neural circuits called the song system, which is indispensable for vocal learning and production. in the present study we analyzed the expression patterns of cell adhesion molecules, cadherins, in the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica) to investigate their potential involvement in song nuclei and neural circuit formation. we found that cadherin-6b was expressed in many song nuclei of the ... | 2008 | 18322922 |
| vocal control area-related expression of neuropilin-1, plexin-a4, and the ligand semaphorin-3a has implications for the evolution of the avian vocal system. | the avian vocal system is a good model for exploring the molecular basis of neural circuit evolution related to behavioral diversity. previously, we conducted a comparative gene expression analysis among two different families of vocal learner, the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica), a songbird, and the budgerigar (melopsittacus undulatus), a parrot; and a non-learner, the quail (coturnix coturnix), to identify various axon guidance molecules such as cadherin and neuropilin-1 as v ... | 2009 | 19128404 |
| high resistance to lipid peroxidation of bird heart mitochondria and microsomes: effects of mass and maximum lifespan. | the aim of this investigation was to study the connection between body size, fatty acid composition and sensitivity to lipid peroxidation of heart mitochondria and microsomes isolated from different size bird species: manon (lonchura striata), quail (coturnix coturnix var japonica), pigeon (columba livia), duck (cairina moschata) and goose (anser anser), representing a 372-fold range of body mass. fatty acids of total lipids were determined using gas chromatography and lipid peroxidation was eva ... | 2009 | 19651227 |
| age-related changes in the bengalese finch song motor program. | it is well established that there are remarkable similarities between song learning in oscine birds and acquisition of speech in young children. human speech shows marked changes with senescence, but few studies have evaluated how song changes with advanced age in songbirds. to investigate the effect of old age on song, we compared song of old bengalese finches (lonchura striata domestica) with that of middle-aged birds. the main observed difference was a decrease in the song tempo, largely due ... | 2010 | 20570409 |
| songbirds possess the spontaneous ability to discriminate syntactic rules. | whether the computational systems in language perception involve specific abilities in humans is debated. the vocalizations of songbirds share many features with human speech, but whether songbirds possess a similar computational ability to process auditory information as humans is unknown. we analyzed their spontaneous discrimination of auditory stimuli and found that the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica) can use the syntactical information processing of syllables to discriminat ... | 2011 | 21706017 |
| Cryptosporidium spp. parasitize exotic birds that are commercialized in markets, commercial aviaries, and pet shops. | The purpose of this study was to genetically characterize and phylogenetically analyze the Cryptosporidium spp. isolated from exotic birds commercialized in popular markets, commercial aviaries, and pet shops located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fecal samples from individually housed birds were collected and subjected to centrifuge-flotation technique using saturated sugar solution. DNA was isolated from Cryptosporidium positive samples, and 18S subunit rDNA was amplified and processed using neste ... | 2011 | 21922240 |
| complex sequencing rules of birdsong can be explained by simple hidden markov processes. | complex sequencing rules observed in birdsongs provide an opportunity to investigate the neural mechanism for generating complex sequential behaviors. to relate the findings from studying birdsongs to other sequential behaviors such as human speech and musical performance, it is crucial to characterize the statistical properties of the sequencing rules in birdsongs. however, the properties of the sequencing rules in birdsongs have not yet been fully addressed. in this study, we investigate the s ... | 2011 | 21915345 |
| Comparative analysis of mineralocorticoid receptor expression among vocal learners (Bengalese finch and budgerigar) and non-vocal learners (quail and ring dove) has implications for the evolution of avian vocal learning. | Mineralocorticoid receptor is the receptor for corticosteroids such as corticosterone or aldosterone. Previously, we found that mineralocorticoid receptor was highly expressed in song nuclei of a songbird, Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica). Here, to examine the relationship between mineralocorticoid receptor expression and avian vocal learning, we analyzed mineralocorticoid receptor expression in the developing brain of another vocal learner, budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) ... | 2011 | 22010640 |
| fine structure of the herbst corpuscles in the lingual mucosa of the finch, lonchura striata. | the ultrastructure of herbst corpuscles in the lingual mucosa of the finch, lonchura striata var. domestica, was examined by light and electron microscopy. numerous herbst corpuscles were found at the top of connective tissue papillae just beneath the dorsal epithelium. the herbst corpuscle was composed of an outer capsule, inner core and central axon. the central axon was discoid in shape and immunoreactive for nse-antiserum. the central axon was surrounded by compactly stacked layers of thin l ... | 2006 | 1482599 |
| genome sequence of a novel reassortant h3n2 avian influenza virus in southern china. | the distribution and prevalence of h3 subtype influenza viruses in avian and mammalian hosts constitutes a potential threat to both human and avian health. we report a complete genome sequence of a novel reassortant h3n2 avian influenza virus. phylogenetic analysis showed that ha and na showed the highest sequence homologies with those of a/white-backed munia/hong kong/4519/2009 (h3n2). however, the internal genes had the highest sequence homologies with those of h6 and h7 subtypes. the data pro ... | 2012 | 22879622 |
| interspecific variation of thermoregulation between small migratory and resident passerines in wenzhou. | physiological adaptation arises from several fundamental sources of phenotypic variation. most analyses of metabolic adaptation in birds have focused on the basal metabolic rate (bmr), the lower limit of avian metabolic heat production. in this study, we investigated thermoregulation in three passerine species; the yellow-billed grosbeak eophona migratoria, white-rumped munia lonchura striata and black-throated bushtit aegithalos concinnus, in wenzhou, china. metabolic rate was measured using th ... | 2016 | 27265655 |
| comparison of learning ability and memory retention in altricial (bengalese finch, lonchura striata var. domestica) and precocial (blue-breasted quail, coturnix chinensis) birds using a color discrimination task. | the present study sought to assess the potential application of avian models with different developmental modes to studies on cognition and neuroscience. six altricial bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica), and eight precocial blue-breasted quails (coturnix chinensis) were presented with color discrimination tasks to compare their respective faculties for learning and memory retention within the context of the two developmental modes. tasks consisted of presenting birds with discri ... | 2014 | 23865600 |
| immunocytochemistry of the pars tuberalis of the pituitary gland in some indian wild birds: a comparative study. | immunohistochemistry has been applied to the cells of the pars tuberalis (pt) of the pituitary gland of three species of indian wild birds (halcyon smyrnensis perpulchra, lonchura striata striata, dicrurus adsimilis macrocercus). as in the pars distalis (pd), five types of immunoreactive cells (gonadotropic, gth; thyrotropic, tsh; lactotropic/prolactin, prl; growth hormone/somatotropic, sth; and cortico-melanotropic, acth/msh cells) are present in the pt of these birds. in addition to the gth ce ... | 1997 | 9378265 |
| discovery of a new avian bornavirus genotype in estrildid finches (estrildidae) in germany. | avian bornaviruses (abv) are known to be the causative agent of proventricular dilatation disease (pdd) in parrots and their relatives (psittaciformes). a broad range of abv genotypes has been detected not only in psittacine birds, but also in other avian species including canary birds (serinus canaria forma domestica) and bengalese finches (lonchura striata f. dom.), which are both members of the order songbirds (passeriformes). during this study 286 samples collected from captive and wild bird ... | 2014 | 24389254 |
| animal vocal sequences: not the markov chains we thought they were. | many animals produce vocal sequences that appear complex. most researchers assume that these sequences are well characterized as markov chains (i.e. that the probability of a particular vocal element can be calculated from the history of only a finite number of preceding elements). however, this assumption has never been explicitly tested. furthermore, it is unclear how language could evolve in a single step from a markovian origin, as is frequently assumed, as no intermediate forms have been fo ... | 2014 | 25143037 |
| is embryonic hypothermia tolerance common in birds? | avian incubation temperatures oscillate within narrow limits to ensure proper embryonic development. however, field observations and experimental studies have found that some species can tolerate very low incubation temperatures, either regularly or occasionally. we artificially incubated eggs from five domestic species, which represent a range of egg sizes, to examine whether a diversity of avian species could exhibit an unusual hypothermia tolerance, as observed in the field. we found that egg ... | 2017 | 28446617 |
| extracellular accumulations in the avian pituitary gland: histochemical analysis in two species of indian wild birds. | extracellular accumulations of two distinct types, colloid-filled follicles and fibrous-material-containing cysts, were observed in the pituitary gland of two species of indian wild birds, halcyon smyrnensis perpulchra and lonchura striata striata. colloid follicles were regular structures and distributed throughout the pars distalis (pd). the fibrous cysts were irregular structures, bigger than the colloid follicles and mostly observed towards the ventral margin of the pd. sometimes disruption ... | 2006 | 17053326 |
| imprinting and the origin of parasite-host species associations in brood-parasitic indigobirds, vidua chalybeata. | brood-parasitic village indigobirds, vidua chalybeata, were bred in captivity and foster-reared by their normal host species, the red-billed firefinch, lagonosticta senegala, or by an experimental foster species, the bengalese finch, lonchura striata. captive-reared female indigobirds were tested as adults for mate choice and for host choice. in tests of mate choice, female indigobirds responded preferentially towards mimicry songs of male indigobirds that were similar to those of the females' o ... | 2000 | 10640368 |
| song learning in brood-parasitic indigobirds vidua chalybeata: song mimicry of the host species. | brood-parasitic village indigobirds, vidua chalybeata, were bred in captivity and foster-reared by their normal host, red-billed firefinch, lagonosticta senegala, or by an experimental foster species, bengalese finch, lonchura striata. male indigobirds reared by bengalese finches developed the songs of bengalese finches, and males reared by firefinches developed songs of firefinches. males copied their foster father only when they had lived with him long after independence (45 days post-fledging ... | 1998 | 9641999 |
| sexual communication and domestication may give rise to the signal complexity necessary for the emergence of language: an indication from songbird studies. | for language to be a vehicle of thought, protolanguage must develop a degree of complexity that allows for the syntactic manipulation of symbol sequences. thus, before language emerged, a process in which signals became complex must have occurred. here, we submit a scenario describing the process in which courtship songs gained in complexity during the course of domestication of bengalese finches. by comparing domesticated bengalese finches with their wild strain, white-rumped munias, we found t ... | 2017 | 28120319 |
| effects of background noise on acoustic characteristics of bengalese finch songs. | online regulation of vocalization in response to auditory feedback is one of the essential issues for vocal communication. one such audio-vocal interaction is the lombard effect, an involuntary increase in vocal amplitude in response to the presence of background noise. along with vocal amplitude, other acoustic characteristics, including fundamental frequency (f0), also change in some species. bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica) are a suitable model for comparative, ethological, ... | 2016 | 28040000 |
| social memory formation rapidly and differentially affects the motivation and performance of vocal communication signals in the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica). | cognitive processes like the formation of social memories can shape the nature of social interactions between conspecifics. male songbirds use vocal signals during courtship interactions with females, but the degree to which social memory and familiarity influences the likelihood and structure of male courtship song remains largely unknown. using a habituation-dishabituation paradigm, we found that a single, brief (<30 s) exposure to a female led to the formation of a short-term memory for that ... | 2016 | 27378868 |
| effects of pentachlorophenol on the detoxification system in white-rumped munia (lonchura striata). | pentachlorophenol (pcp), a priority pollutant due to its persistence and high toxicity, has been used worldwide as a pesticide and biocide. to understand the adverse effects of pcp, adult male white-rumped munias (lonchura striata) were orally administrated commercial pcp mixed with corn oil at dosages of 0, 0.05, 0.5, and 5mg/(kg·day) for 42day. gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (gc-ms) analysis found that pcp was preferentially accumulated in the kidney rather than in the liver and muscle i ... | 2016 | 27266319 |
| hvc contributes toward conspecific contact call responding in male bengalese finches. | the processes of producing and acquiring birdsong, like human speech, utilize interdependent neural systems for vocal learning and production. in addition to song, these brain areas are undoubtedly used for other affiliative behaviors. oscine sound production is lateralized because their vocal organ contains two independently controlled sound sources. therefore, songbirds offer a unique opportunity to study the biological relevance of lateralized behavioral control. bengalese finches (lonchura s ... | 2016 | 27014861 |
| dopaminergic contributions to vocal learning. | although the brain relies on auditory information to calibrate vocal behavior, the neural substrates of vocal learning remain unclear. here we demonstrate that lesions of the dopaminergic inputs to a basal ganglia nucleus in a songbird species (bengalese finches, lonchura striata var. domestica) greatly reduced the magnitude of vocal learning driven by disruptive auditory feedback in a negative reinforcement task. these lesions produced no measureable effects on the quality of vocal performance ... | 2016 | 26888928 |
| hierarchical emergence of sequence sensitivity in the songbird auditory forebrain. | bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica) generate more complex sequences in their songs than zebra finches. because of this, we chose this species to explore the signal processing of sound sequence in the primary auditory forebrain area, field l, and in a secondary area, the caudomedial nidopallium (ncm). we simultaneously recorded activity from multiple single units in urethane-anesthetized birds. we successfully replicated the results of a previous study in awake zebra finches exami ... | 2016 | 26864094 |
| variability in the temporal parameters in the song of the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica). | birdsong provides a unique model for studying the control mechanisms of complex sequential behaviors. the present study aimed to demonstrate that multiple factors affect temporal control in the song production. we analyzed the song of bengalese finches in various time ranges to address factors that affected the duration of acoustic elements (notes) and silent intervals (gaps). the gaps showed more jitter across song renditions than did notes. gaps had longer duration in branching points of song ... | 2015 | 26512015 |
| a comparison of spontaneous problem-solving abilities in three estrildid finch (taeniopygia guttata, lonchura striata var. domestica, stagonopleura guttata) species. | cognition has been extensively studied in primates while other, more distantly related taxa have been neglected for a long time. more recently, there has been an increased interest in avian cognition, with the focus mostly on big-brained species like parrots and corvids. however, the majority of bird species has never systematically been studied in diverse cognitive tasks other than memory and learning tasks, so not much can yet be concluded about the relevant factors for the evolution of cognit ... | 2015 | 26301340 |
| complete mitochondrial genome of white-rumped munia lonchura striata swinhoei (passeriformes: estrildidae). | white-rumped munia lonchura striata is a small passerine bird from the family of waxbill "finches" (estrildidae), which are close relatives of the true finches (fringillidae) and true sparrows (passeridae). in this study, we determined the mitogenome of lonchura striata swinhoei by the pcr-based method. the mitogenome (16 813 bp) comprises 13 protein-coding genes, 22 trna, two rrna genes, and a control region. gene order is identical to most of the other passerine birds. the dna base composition ... | 2016 | 26190080 |
| nest destruction elicits indiscriminate con- versus heterospecific brood parasitism in a captive bird. | following nest destruction, the laying of physiologically committed eggs (eggs that are ovulated, yolked, and making their way through the oviduct) in the nests of other birds is considered a viable pathway for the evolution of obligate interspecific brood parasitism. while intraspecific brood parasitism in response to nest predation has been experimentally demonstrated, this pathway has yet to be evaluated in an interspecific context. we studied patterns of egg laying following experimental nes ... | 2014 | 25512846 |
| male mate preferences in mutual mate choice: finches modulate their songs across and within male-female interactions. | male songbirds use song to advertise their attractiveness as potential mates, and the properties of those songs have a powerful influence on female mate preferences. one idea is that males may exert themselves maximally in each song performance, consistent with female evaluation and formation of mate preferences being the primary contributors to mate choice. alternatively, males may modulate their song behaviour to different degrees in the presence of different females, consistent with both male ... | 2014 | 25242817 |
| behavioral and neural trade-offs between song complexity and stress reaction in a wild and a domesticated finch strain. | the bengalese finch is the domesticated strain of the wild white-rumped munia. bengalese finches have been domesticated and reproductively isolated for over 250 years from the wild strain. during this period, the courtship songs of the domesticated birds became phonologically and syntactically complex. in addition, psychological and physiological stress reactions to environmental and social factors diverged between the two strains. based on our behavioral and histological studies, we consider th ... | 2014 | 25092250 |
| domestication changes innate constraints for birdsong learning. | birdsongs are acquired by imitating the sounds produced by conspecifics. within a species, songs diverge by cultural transmission, but the range of species-specific features is restricted by innate constraints. bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica) are a domesticated strain of the wild white-rumped munia (lonchura striata). the songs of the domesticated strain have more tonal sounds and more variable sequences than those of the wild strain. we compared the features of songs that we ... | 2014 | 24793499 |
| vocal generalization depends on gesture identity and sequence. | generalization, the brain's ability to transfer motor learning from one context to another, occurs in a wide range of complex behaviors. however, the rules of generalization in vocal behavior are poorly understood, and it is unknown how vocal learning generalizes across an animal's entire repertoire of natural vocalizations and sequences. here, we asked whether generalization occurs in a nonhuman vocal learner and quantified its properties. we hypothesized that adaptive error correction of a voc ... | 2014 | 24741046 |
| a simple explanation for the evolution of complex song syntax in bengalese finches. | the songs of bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica) have complex syntax and provide an opportunity to investigate how complex sequential behaviour emerges via the evolutionary process. in this study, we suggest that a simple mechanism, i.e. many-to-one mapping from internal states onto syllables, may underlie the emergence of apparent complex syllable sequences that have higher order history dependencies. we analysed the songs of bengalese finches and of their wild ancestor, the whi ... | 2013 | 24284561 |
| the impact of domestication on fearfulness: a comparison of tonic immobility reactions in wild and domesticated finches. | we examined differences in the fear response between bengalese finches and their wild ancestor, the white-backed munia, to explore the evolutionary mechanisms of behavioural changes due to domestication. the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica) was domesticated from the wild-living white-backed munia (l. striata) approximately 250 years ago. a previous study indicated that bengalese finches sing much more complex songs than white-backed munias. we hypothesised that bengalese finches ... | 2013 | 23962671 |
| stepwise acquisition of vocal combinatorial capacity in songbirds and human infants. | human language, as well as birdsong, relies on the ability to arrange vocal elements in new sequences. however, little is known about the ontogenetic origin of this capacity. here we track the development of vocal combinatorial capacity in three species of vocal learners, combining an experimental approach in zebra finches (taeniopygia guttata) with an analysis of natural development of vocal transitions in bengalese finches (lonchura striata domestica) and pre-lingual human infants. we find a c ... | 2013 | 23719373 |
| differential androgen receptor expression and dna methylation state in striatum song nucleus area x between wild and domesticated songbird strains. | in songbirds, a specialized neural system, the song system, is responsible for acquisition and expression of species-specific vocal patterns. we report evidence for differential gene expression between wild and domesticated strains having different learned vocal phenotypes. a domesticated strain of the wild white-rumped munia, the bengalese finch, has a distinct song pattern with a more complicated syntax than the wild strain. we identified differential androgen receptor (ar) expression in basal ... | 2013 | 23701473 |
| exploring vocal recovery after cranial nerve injury in bengalese finches. | songbirds and humans use auditory feedback to acquire and maintain their vocalizations. the bengalese finch (lonchura striata domestica) is a songbird species that rapidly modifies its vocal output to adhere to an internal song memory. in this species, the left side of the bipartite vocal organ is specialized for producing louder, higher frequencies (≥2.2khz) and denervation of the left vocal muscles eliminates these notes. thus, the return of higher frequency notes after cranial nerve injury ca ... | 2013 | 23276640 |
| song complexity and auditory feedback in birds: a comparison between two strains of bengalese finches with different degrees of song complexity. | in adult songbirds, the degree of dependency on audition for maintenance of stable song structure varies from species to species. to date, studies suggest that song deterioration after deafening may be related to the song complexity of the species. bengalese finches sing songs that are composed of complex note-to-note transitions, and their songs are critically dependent on auditory feedback. song deterioration occurs within five days of auditory deprivation surgery, much faster than in other sp ... | 2012 | 23030337 |
| decreased fecal corticosterone levels due to domestication: a comparison between the white-backed munia (lonchura striata) and its domesticated strain, the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica) with a suggestion for complex song evolution. | the bengalese finch (bf; lonchura striata var. domestica) is a domesticated strain of the white-backed munia (wbm; lonchura striata). environmental stresses activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (hpa) axis and release corticosterone (cort). we hypothesized that domesticated songbirds have reduced cort levels because of reduced levels of environmental stresses (compared to wild conditions) and reductions in the role of cort, which is necessary for survival in the wild. however, no study has ... | 2012 | 22927235 |
| are olfactory cues involved in nest recognition in two social species of estrildid finches? | reliably recognizing their own nest provides parents with a necessary skill to invest time and resources efficiently in raising their offspring and thereby maximising their own reproductive success. studies investigating nest recognition in adult birds have focused mainly on visual cues of the nest or the nest site and acoustic cues of the nestlings. to determine whether adult songbirds also use olfaction for nest recognition, we investigated the use of olfactory nest cues for two estrildid finc ... | 2012 | 22574196 |
| syringeal specialization of frequency control during song production in the bengalese finch (lonchura striata domestica). | singing in songbirds is a complex, learned behavior which shares many parallels with human speech. the avian vocal organ (syrinx) has two potential sound sources, and each sound generator is under unilateral, ipsilateral neural control. different songbird species vary in their use of bilateral or unilateral phonation (lateralized sound production) and rapid switching between left and right sound generation (interhemispheric switching of motor control). bengalese finches (lonchura striata domesti ... | 2012 | 22479543 |
| sequential learning and rule abstraction in bengalese finches. | the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica) is a species of songbird. males sing courtship songs with complex note-to-note transition rules, while females discriminate these songs when choosing their mate. the present study uses serial reaction time (rt) to examine the characteristics of the bengalese finches' sequential behaviours beyond song production. the birds were trained to produce the sequence with an "a-b-a" structure. after the rt to each key position was determined to be sta ... | 2012 | 21952988 |
| a direct neuronal connection between the telencephalic nucleus robustus arcopallialis and the nucleus nervi hypoglossi, pars tracheosyringealis in bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | bird species with vocal learning possess a projection from the telencephalic nucleus to the nucleus nervi hypoglossi, pars tracheosyringealis (xiits) in the medulla, where a final common pathway that controls the vocal organ, i.e., the synrinx, originates. the anatomical basis of this projection has not been well investigated in one species of songbird, the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica). the present study used anterograde and retrograde tracing experiments to examine and desc ... | 2011 | 21945522 |
| spermiophagy in the male reproductive tract of some passerine birds. | in order to elucidate the locus and means of spermiophagy in passerine birds, we examined histologically the entire male reproductive tract of sexually mature birds of three passerine species with different forms of sperm competition, namely, the alpine accentor (prunella collaris), the redflanked bush robin (tarsiger cyanurus), and the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica). spermiophagy occurred consistently and frequently in the epithelial layer of the seminal glomera and ejaculato ... | 2011 | 21882958 |
| expression patterns of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica) brain suggest a relationship between stress hormones and song-system development. | much evidence suggests that song traits function as an honest signal of male quality during mate choice in songbirds. because songbirds learn vocalizations during the juvenile stage, development of the song system and song traits is affected by stressful conditions. however, it remains unknown how stressful conditions affect later song traits during development. to explore the relationship between glucocorticoids and song-system development, we performed in situ hybridization analysis of the glu ... | 2011 | 21851851 |
| enhanced testosterone levels affect singing motivation but not song structure and amplitude in bengalese finches. | song is a fundamental component of territory defense and mate attraction in birds, and androgens (like testosterone) are known to play a key role in controlling it. however, little is known about how differences in testosterone levels between males translate into inter-individual song variation. indeed, testosterone could affect both the motivation to sing and the structure of song itself. here, we tested whether experimentally elevated testosterone levels in adult bengalese finches (lonchura st ... | 2011 | 20951153 |
| molecular characterization of the song control nucleus hvc in bengalese finch brain. | songbirds have a specialized neural substrate for learned vocalization, called the song circuit, which consists of several song nuclei in the brain. the song control nucleus hvc (a letter-based name) is the intersection point of the song learning and vocal motor pathways. knowledge of the types of genes expressed in the hvc is essential in understanding the molecular aspects of the hvc. gene expression in the hvc under silent conditions shows the competence necessary for singing. to investigate ... | 2010 | 20846513 |
| identification of male-biased gene: parvalbumin in song control nuclei of the bengalese finch. | sex differences in song nuclei are evident across songbirds. to explore candidate genes involving in the sexual dimorphism of song nuclei, the present study used suppression subtraction hybridization to identify male-biased genes in the bengalese finch (lonchura striata). from 199 clones with an inserted sequence, we obtained a gene (parvalbumin, pv) coding a calcium-binding protein, which showed, through semi-quantitative pcr, obviously male-biased expression. in situ hybridization and immunohi ... | 2010 | 20566402 |
| ronidazole toxicosis in 3 society finches (lonchura striata). | a group of finches were accidentally overdosed with ronidazole, a 5-nitroimidazole used for treatment of trichomoniasis. finches developed neurologic signs on the third day of treatment and were euthanized (or died). three finches were submitted for necropsy. focal necrosis of the cerebellar nucleus was seen in all 3 birds, as characterized by neuronal necrosis, vacuolation of the neuropil, gemistocytic astrocytosis, hemorrhage, and axonal swelling (spheroids) with demyelination. the liver from ... | 2010 | 20106792 |
| perceptual chunking in the self-produced songs of bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | like humans, songbirds, including bengalese finches, have hierarchical structures in their vocalizations. when humans perceive a sentence, processing occurs in phrase units, not words. in this study, we investigated whether songbirds also perceive their songs by chunks (clusters of song notes) rather than single song notes. we trained male bengalese finches to react to a short noise in a go/nogo task. we then superimposed the noise onto recordings of their own songs and examined whether the reac ... | 2010 | 20039089 |
| the disassociation of visual and acoustic conspecific cues decreases discrimination by female zebra finches (taeniopygia guttata). | female zebra finches (taeniopygia guttata) use visual and acoustic traits for accurate recognition of male conspecifics. evidence from video playbacks confirms that both sensory modalities are important for conspecific and species discrimination, but experimental evidence of the individual roles of these cue types affecting live conspecific recognition is limited. in a spatial paradigm to test discrimination, the authors used live male zebra finch stimuli of 2 color morphs, wild-type (conspecifi ... | 2009 | 19685973 |
| cross-fostering diminishes song discrimination in zebra finches (taeniopygia guttata). | song-production, -discrimination, and -preferences in oscine birds are dually influenced by species identity and the ontogenetic environment. the cross-fostering of a model species for recognition research, the zebra finch (taeniopygia guttata) into heterospecific nests of the bengalese finch (lonchura striata vars. domestica) allows an exploration of the sensory limits of early development and the effects of species-specific acoustic cues upon song discrimination in adulthood. to quantify the s ... | 2009 | 19130101 |
| collapsin response mediator protein-4 (crmp-4) expression in posthaching development of song control nuclei in bengalese finches. | crmp-4 is regarded to play a role in neuronal differentiation, neurite growth and synapse formation. it has been shown to express in brain areas undergoing plastic changes or neuronal generation. bird song is a learned, complex behavior. during song learning, some neural changes occur dramatically within song nuclei in neuron number, neuronal morphology, and synaptic formation or rearrangements. in order to get insights into the potential functions of crmp-4 in the posthatching development of so ... | 2008 | 18598844 |
| song motor control organizes acoustic patterns on two levels in bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | based on statistical analyses of song sequences, bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica) songs do not show unvarying motif repetition as has been found in zebra finches (taeniopygia guttata). instead, there are variations of partially stereotyped sequences of song syllables. although these stereotyped sequences consist of multiple syllables, in most cases these syllables occur together. to examine whether such structures really exist as a vocal production unit, we subjected singing bir ... | 2008 | 18386017 |
| sex differences in audiovisual discrimination learning by bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | both visual and auditory information are important for songbirds, especially in developmental and sexual contexts. to investigate bimodal cognition in songbirds, the authors conducted audiovisual discrimination training in bengalese finches. the authors used two types of stimulus: an "artificial stimulus," which is a combination of simple figures and sound, and a "biological stimulus," consisting of video images of singing males along with their songs. the authors found that while both sexes pre ... | 2008 | 18298278 |
| a neural network model for generating complex birdsong syntax. | the singing behavior of songbirds has been investigated as a model of sequence learning and production. the song of the bengalese finch, lonchura striata var. domestica, is well described by a finite state automaton including a stochastic transition of the note sequence, which can be regarded as a higher-order markov process. focusing on the neural structure of songbirds, we propose a neural network model that generates higher-order markov processes. the neurons in the robust nucleus of the arch ... | 2007 | 17965875 |
| evolution of birdsong syntax by interjection communication. | animals use diverse forms of communication, from sound signals to body postures. recent ethological studies have reported a unique syntactic communication of a songbird, the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica). male bengalese finches sing complex courtship songs, which can be reconstructed by finite automata, and female bengalese finches prefer complex songs, as opposed to monotonous or random ones. these facts suggest that the song syntaxes of male birds may have evolved as a resu ... | 2007 | 17567245 |
| non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation of microsomes and mitochondria from liver, heart and brain of the bird lonchura striata: relationship with fatty acid composition. | the aim of this study was to examine the fatty acid composition and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation (lp) of mitochondria and microsomes obtained from liver, heart and brain of lonchura striata. the percentage of total unsaturated fatty acid was approximately 30-60% in the organelles from all tissues studied. brain mitochondria and both organelles of liver exhibited the highest percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acid (pufa) (30 and 18%, respectively). the arachidonic acid (aa) content was 7% in ... | 2007 | 17208479 |
| [the production and distribution of the newborn neural precursor in the telencephalon of female melanocorypha mongolica and compared with female lonchura striata]. | the production of labeled precursors in adult female melanocorypha mongolica and lonchura striata were investigated by using bromodeoxyuridine (brdu) and abc immunohistochemical method to mark new synthesized dna. then, the distribution of newborn precursor was compared between the two kinds of songbirds. the results reveal that: 1) during 1-4 days after brdu intramuscular injection, there were a great number of labeled cells in lateral ventricular zone (lvz),and forming proliferation 'hot spots ... | 2006 | 16944597 |
| dynamic changes of apoptosis and expression of bcl-2 family members in the posthatch hippocampus of bengalese finches. | the hippocampus of songbirds plays an important role in spatial memory, and probably in song learning. although prolonged neuronal generation and apoptosis are thought to be closely correlated with memory function, natural changes of the number of neurons and in apoptosis in the hippocampus of songbirds have not been fully investigated during development and in the adult. in the current study, we examined developmental changes in the volume and the number of neurons and apoptotic cells in the hi ... | 2006 | 16842761 |
| sex differences in the telencephalic song control circuitry in bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | bengalese finches, lonchura striata, are extremely sexually dimorphic in their singing behavior; males sing complex songs, whereas females do not sing at all. this study describes the developmental differentiation of the brain song system in bengalese finches. nissl staining was used to measure the volumes of four telencephalic song nuclei: area x, hvc, the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (ra), and the lateral portion of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (lman). in juvenile ... | 2005 | 16286720 |
| the bengalese finch: a window on the behavioral neurobiology of birdsong syntax. | the bengalese finch lonchura striata var. domestica is a domesticated strain of a wild species, the white-rumped munia lonchura striata of southeast asia. bengalese finches have been domesticated in japan for 240 years. comparing their song syntax with that of their wild ancestors, we found that the domesticated strain has highly complex, conspicuous songs with finite-state syntax, while the wild ancestor sang very stereotyped linear songs. to examine the functional utility of the song complexit ... | 2004 | 15313802 |
| the impact of deafness to the survival of the newborn cells in the brain of juvenile white-rumped munia, lonchura striata. | in white-rumped munia, early auditory experience is critical for normal song development. new neurons are constantly added to the telencephalon in juveniles. we examined the potential role of auditory experience in regulating the developmental changes in the song nuclei and the survival of newborn cells. we chose two special days, postnatal day 23 and 37, at which we deafened the birds through bilateral cochlea removal. all birds were injected with the cell birth marker brdu two weeks before the ... | 2003 | 14578567 |
| left-side dominance for song discrimination in bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | male bengalese finches are left-side dominant for the motor control of song in the sensorimotor nucleus (the high vocal center, or hvc) of the telencephalon. we examined whether perceptual discrimination of songs might also be lateralized in this species. twelve male bengalese finches were trained by operant conditioning to discriminate between a bengalese finch song and a zebra finch song. before training, the left hvc was lesioned in four birds and the right hvc was lesioned in four other bird ... | 2001 | 24777514 |
| perception of temporal properties in self-generated songs by bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | in the songbird forebrain, neuronal selectivity for temporal properties of each bird's self-generated song has been well described, but the behavioral and perceptual correlates of this selectivity are not known. by operant procedures, the authors trained bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica) to discriminate between songs that were played normally and in reverse. male bengalese finches learned the discrimination quicker when their self-generated song was used as a stimulus than when ... | 2000 | 10994839 |
| auditory scene analysis in estrildid finches (taeniopygia guttata and lonchura striata domestica): a species advantage for detection of conspecific song. | operant-conditioning techniques were used to investigate the ability of zebra finches (taeniopygia guttata) and bengalese finches (lonchura striata domestica) to detect a zebra finch or a bengalese finch target song intermixed with other birdsongs. sixteen birds were trained to respond to the presence of a particular target song, either of their own species (n = 8) or of another species (n = 8). the birds were able to learn a discrimination between song mixtures that contained a target song and ... | 2000 | 10890589 |
| adult bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica) require real-time auditory feedback to produce normal song syntax. | songbirds develop their songs by imitating songs of adults. for song learning to proceed normally, the bird's hearing must remain intact throughout the song development process. in many species, song learning takes place during one period early in life, and no more new song elements are learned thereafter. in these so-called close-ended learners, it has long been assumed that once song development is complete, audition is no longer necessary to maintain the motor patterns of full song. however, ... | 1997 | 9322153 |
| bengalese finches lonchura striata domestica depend upon auditory feedback for the maintenance of adult song. | male birds of age-limited song-learning species develop their full song repertoires in the first year of life. for this type of song learner, once song is stabilized in adulthood, it is highly stereotyped and stable over time. traditionally, it has been believed that age-limited song learners do not depend on auditory feedback for the maintenance of adult song. a recent report, however, showed that adult song in zebra finches, age-limited learners, does change after long-term deafness. we report ... | 1997 | 9236246 |
| molecular cloning of major histocompatibility complex class ii b gene cdna from the bengalese finch lonchura striata. | the only avian major histocompatibility complex (mhc) genes thus far identified are from species of the relatively small order of galliformes, while by far the largest order of passeriformes (songbirds), containing some 60% of extant bird species, has not been studied at all in this regard. the galliformes emerged more than 55 million years (my) ago, the passeriformes some 25 my ago. because of the potential for the use of mhc genes as markers in the study of songbird populations, an attempt was ... | 1995 | 7672820 |
| prolactin and gonadal steroids during the reproductive cycle of the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica, estrildidae), a nonseasonal breeder with biparental care. | plasma levels of prolactin (prl), testosterone (t), and progesterone were determined throughout the breeding cycle in pairwise caged bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica, estrildidae), a monogamous altricial passerine with nonseasonal breeding, in which parental behavior including incubation is equally shared between males and females. in both sexes, prl titers increased 4- to 10-fold during incubation period compared to values during nestbuilding. likewise, prl levels after fledgi ... | 1992 | 1426966 |
| formation of the microtubule bundle and helical shaping of the spermatid in the common finch, lonchura striata var. domestica. | spermiogenesis in the common finch with special reference to the role of microtubules constituting the microtubule bundle was examined. microtubules first appear in a loosely grouped cluster which helically surrounds the spherical nucleus. concurrently with the formation of a single helical bundle of microtubules, the nucleus first assumes a helical shape. with a change in microtubular array, the ridge surface of the nuclear helix becomes flattened and depressed; the gyres of the nuclear helix i ... | 1988 | 3373069 |
| egg recognition and brain size in a cuckoo host. | the evolution of animal brain size and cognitive ability is a topic of central significance in evolutionary ecology. interspecific brood parasitism imposes severe selection pressures on hosts favoring the evolution of cuckoo egg recognition and rejection. however, recognizing and rejecting foreign parasitic eggs are enormous cognitive challenges for cuckoo hosts, which might select for an increase in brain size in birds with this capacity. to explore the association between cuckoo parasitism and ... | 2020 | 32841719 |
| maternal gut microbes shape the early-life assembly of gut microbiota in passerine chicks via nests. | knowledge is growing on how gut microbiota are established, but the effects of maternal symbiotic microbes throughout early microbial successions in birds remain elusive. in this study, we examined the contributions and transmission modes of maternal microbes into the neonatal microbiota of a passerine, the zebra finch (taeniopygia guttata), based on fostering experiments. | 2020 | 32917256 |
| systemic amyloid a (aa) amyloidosis in the bengalese finch (lonchura striata var. domestica). | the incidence of systemic amyloid a (aa) amyloidosis was high in bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica), as 150 of 235 birds from 5 breeding colonies (63.8%) tested positive for it. the incidence was statistically significantly higher in one colony. the liver was the most frequently affected organ (150 cases), followed by the spleen and then the kidneys. the degree of amyloid deposition was high in the liver and spleen and low in the kidneys. the histological distribution of amyloid ... | 2020 | 32788502 |
| variation in auditory neural activation in response to strain-specific songs in wild and domesticated female bengalese finches. | female songbirds identify and prefer conspecific male songs. songs are an important cue for species discrimination. bengalese finches are domesticated species and their male songs seem to have evolved as they comprise more complex sequences and tonal sounds than the songs of their wild ancestors, white-rumped munias. previous research suggested that the degeneration of song functionality for species identification may have been one of the factors that promoted the evolution of song complexity in ... | 2020 | 32768445 |
| different reactions of zebra finches and bengalese finches to a three-component mixture of anesthetics. | kawai et al. (2011) recently introduced a mixture of three anesthetic agents (here called mmb) that has an effect similar to ketamine/xylazine in mice, which might allow more effective reaction to changes in the animal condition, as an antagonist is available, and which can be used without license for handling narcotic drugs. using kawai's study as a baseline, we tested whether this anesthesia and its antagonist can also be used in avian studies. in the present study, we used two species, the ze ... | 2020 | 32282147 |
| statistical learning for vocal sequence acquisition in a songbird. | birdsong is a learned communicative behavior that consists of discrete acoustic elements ("syllables") that are sequenced in a controlled manner. while the learning of the acoustic structure of syllables has been extensively studied, relatively little is known about sequence learning in songbirds. statistical learning could contribute to the acquisition of vocal sequences, and we investigated the nature and extent of sequence learning at various levels of song organization in the bengalese finch ... | 2020 | 32041978 |
| manipulations of inhibition in cortical circuitry differentially affect spectral and temporal features of bengalese finch song. | the interplay between inhibition and excitation can regulate behavioral expression and control, including the expression of communicative behaviors like birdsong. computational models postulate varying degrees to which inhibition within vocal motor circuitry influences birdsong, but few studies have tested these models by manipulating inhibition. here we enhanced and attenuated inhibition in the cortical nucleus hvc (used as proper name) of bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). en ... | 2020 | 31967928 |
| learning is enhanced by tailoring instruction to individual genetic differences. | it is widely argued that personalized instruction based on individual differences in learning styles or genetic predispositions could improve learning outcomes. however, this proposition has resisted clear demonstration in human studies, where it is difficult to control experience and quantify outcomes. here, we take advantage of the tractable nature of vocal learning in songbirds (lonchura striata domestica) to test the idea that matching instruction to individual genetic predispositions can en ... | 2019 | 31526480 |
| dopamine depletion affects vocal acoustics and disrupts sensorimotor adaptation in songbirds. | dopamine is hypothesized to convey error information in reinforcement learning tasks with explicit appetitive or aversive cues. however, during motor skill learning feedback signals arise from an animal's evaluation of sensory feedback resulting from its own behavior, rather than any external reward or punishment. it has previously been shown that intact dopaminergic signaling from the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra pars compacta (vta/snc) complex is necessary for vocal learning when so ... | 2020 | 31126913 |
| is neurogenesis in two songbird species related to their song sequence variability? | neurogenesis takes part in the adult songbird brain and new neurons are integrated into the forebrain including defined areas involved in the control of song learning and production. it has been suggested that the new neurons in the song system might enable vocal variability. here, we examined the basal levels of neurogenesis in two songbird species, zebra finch ( taeniopygia guttata) and bengalese finch ( lonchura striata var. domestica), which do not learn new song elements as adults but diffe ... | 2019 | 30963944 |
| draft genome assembly of the bengalese finch, lonchura striata domestica, a model for motor skill variability and learning. | vocal learning in songbirds has emerged as a powerful model for sensorimotor learning. neurobehavioral studies of bengalese finch (lonchura striata domestica) song, naturally more variable and plastic than songs of other finch species, have demonstrated the importance of behavioral variability for initial learning, maintenance, and plasticity of vocalizations. however, the molecular and genetic underpinnings of this variability and the learning it supports are poorly understood. | 2018 | 29618046 |
| early social experience alters transcriptomic responses to species-specific song stimuli in female songbirds. | amongst an array of stimuli from countless species, animals must recognize salient signals, including those of their own species. in songbirds, behavioral tests have demonstrated that preferences for conspecific male songs are determined by both preexisting biases and social experience with a male 'tutor' during the sensitive period for learning. although immediate early gene expression (e.g. zenk) and electrophysiological experiments generally find greater neural responses for conspecific songs ... | 2018 | 29501507 |
| individual- and species-specific skin microbiomes in three different estrildid finch species revealed by 16s amplicon sequencing. | an animals' body is densely populated with bacteria. although a large number of investigations on physiological microbial colonisation have emerged in recent years, our understanding of the composition, ecology and function of the microbiota remains incomplete. here, we investigated whether songbirds have an individual-specific skin microbiome that is similar across different body regions. we collected skin microbe samples from three different bird species (taeniopygia gutatta, lonchura striata ... | 2018 | 29282519 |
| genetic variation interacts with experience to determine interindividual differences in learned song. | learning reflects the influence of experience on genetically determined circuitry, but little is known about how experience and genetics interact to determine complex learned phenotypes. here, we used vocal learning in songbirds to study how experience and genetics contribute to interindividual differences in learned song. previous work has established that such differences in song within a species depend on learning, but in principle some of these differences could also depend on genetic variat ... | 2018 | 29279376 |
| erbin and erbb2 play roles in the sexual differentiation of the song system nucleus hvc in bengalese finches (lonchura striata var. domestica). | song control nuclei have distinct sexual differences in songbirds. however, the mechanism that underlies the sexual differentiation of song nuclei is still not well understood. using a combination of anatomical, pharmacological, genetic, and behavioral approaches, the present study investigated the role of erbb2 (a homolog of the avian erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 2) and the erbb2-interacting gene, erbin, in the sexual differentiation of the song nucleus hvc in the bengalese fi ... | 2018 | 29082632 |