Music for the birds: effects of auditory enrichment on captive bird species

Abstract

With the increase of mixed species exhibits in zoos, targeting enrichment for individual species may be problematic. Often, mammals may be the primary targets of enrichment, yet other species that share their environment (such as birds) will unavoidably be exposed to the enrichment as well. The purpose of this study was to determine if (1) auditory stimuli designed for enrichment of primates influenced the behavior of captive birds in the zoo setting, and (2) if the specific type of auditory enrichment impacted bird behavior. Three different African bird species were observed at the Buffalo Zoo during exposure to natural sounds, classical music and rock music. The results revealed that the average frequency of flying in all three bird species increased with naturalistic sounds and decreased with rock music (F = 7.63, df = 3,6, P = 0.018); vocalizations for two of the three species (Superb Starlings and Mousebirds) increased (F = 18.61, df = 2,6, P = 0.0027) in response to all auditory stimuli, however one species (Lady Ross's Turacos) increased frequency of duetting only in response to rock music (X(2) = 18.5, df = 2, P < 0.0001). Auditory enrichment implemented for large mammals may influence behavior in non-target species as well, in this case leading to increased activity by birds.

Colour polymorphic Gouldian finches avoid complex backgrounds but prefer simple camouflage colours over white backgrounds

“…Animal welfare is a major concern when keeping animals in captivity. Environmental enrichment plays an important part to improve welfare and promote natural behaviour (Matheson et al, 2008;Newberry, 1995;Robbins and Margulis, 2016). In birds, specifically song birds, enrichment often comprises foraging substrates, water baths, natural branches and area of cover (Bateson and Feenders, 2010).…”

The effects of auditory enrichment on zebrafish behavior and physiology

“…From the practical standpoint, these results support using musical environmental enrichment in zebrafish, similar to auditory enrichment currently used in rodents Moreover, it has still not been established that the melodic content of the music is responsible for the effects reported here, although some studies show that animals react differently to music and other sounds, such as static ( Kettelkamp-Ladd, 1993 ). For example, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that non-musical sound alone may have a beneficial effect on animals ( Robbins & Margulis, 2014 ; Robbins & Margulis, 2016 ; Pysanenko et al, 2018 ), and therefore our conclusions are limited to auditory enrichment in general, rather than to music more specifically.…”

Considering Generalizability: A Lesson from Auditory Enrichment Research on Zoo Animals

“…For example, Williams and colleagues (2017) presented ten zoo-housed psittacines of different species to six conditions of auditory stimulation (classical music, pop music, natural rainforest sounds, parrot sounds and a talking radio); unsurprisingly, behavioral responses were inconsistent. Similarly, the behavioral responses of three different African bird species to natural sounds, classical music, and rock music varied, with vocalizations and frequency of flying differing with music genre between species (Robbins & Margulis, 2016). Unfortunately, the small sample size here makes it difficult to interpret whether these forms of auditory enrichment impacted animal welfare.…”

“…Differences in behavior between different studies may be a result of different housing conditions, and thus, differently enriched environments. For instance, solo-housed birds showed more stereotypy than group housed birds (Robbins & Margulis, 2016;Williams et al, 2017). This affects the opportunities for enrichment itself (e.g., whether a facility has the space or finances available required to provide highly enriched environments), as well as individual responses to enrichment as behavioral responses are influenced by early life history and general life experience.…”

“…Furthermore, other studies test a very small sample of multiple species (often only one or two individuals per species) and describe substantial behavioral differences between species, which cannot necessarily be explained by socio-ecological factors (Robbins & Margulis, 2016;Williams et al, 2017). For example, Williams and colleagues (2017) presented ten zoo-housed psittacines of different species to six conditions of auditory stimulation (classical music, pop music, natural rainforest sounds, parrot sounds and a talking radio); unsurprisingly, behavioral responses were inconsistent.…”