Zebra Finch Relationship Stability and Stress

Abstract

Relationship stability is key for loving and stress-free monogamous relationships from humans to zebra finch. Consistency of affiliation can greatly influence an individual when going through a stressful event. An indicator of high stress in songbirds is a high heterophil to lymphocyte ratio in their blood. Little information is available about how socially monogamous zebra finch pairs physiologically react when separated from their partner. Two experiments collected behavioral data on the socially monogamous zebra finch. Through these experiments, the pairs were exposed to different influences of stress such as environmental and partner strain. The birds were then isolated for two hours, and their blood was taken and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio was recorded. Birds who had consistently high affiliation behavior with their partner were also recorded having higher heterophil to lymphocyte ratio after isolation. This indicates that the strength of the relationship is directly correlated with the amount of physiological stress the individual experiences when isolated from their partner.