Even though it was extremely dry at Fowlers Gap this spring, our zebra finch field season was a successful one. Luckily for us, zebra finches were still present in large numbers despite the drought. Interestingly, zebra finches were still found singing actively although hardly any breeding attempts were made.

In a new collaborative project with Marc Naguib and Hugo Loning of Wageningen University, the Netherlands, we will look into more detail at wild zebra finches’ communication, especially singing behaviour. From lab studies we know that their song functions in mate choice when reaching maturity, but why they sing for the rest of their adult life remains unclear.

To this end we have installed a large number of passive acoustic monitoring devices which enables us to monitor the acoustic environment during and outside of breeding seasons, in a variety of habitats for years to come. This will not only contribute to zebra finches studies, but also gives us valuable information on the presence of other birds, which will benefit additional studies on bird ecology, migration and conservation in these unpredictable, extreme environments.