Dynamic vocal and behavioural contingencies vary between learning and courtship interactions in zebra finches

During communicative interactions, individuals exert reciprocal influences on each other; senders influence receivers and receivers influence senders. Relatively little is known about how contingent interactions vary across social contexts (audiences), and such investigations could provide insight into the function of behavioural contingencies. Here, we analyse behavioural contingencies across two different social contexts in zebra finches. Specifically, because male zebra finches learn their vocalizations during social interactions in development and use these learnt vocalizations during courtship interactions in adulthood, we analysed behavioural contingencies between adult and juvenile males (learning) and between adult males and females (courtship). We discovered that adult male zebra finches (senders) can display 'overt behaviours' before song production that increase the attention of receivers and, moreover, that the contingent attentional responses of juvenile males but not of adult females predicted the type of song produced by the adult male. Specifically, adult males were more likely to direct songs at juveniles when juveniles became attentive after the overt behaviour, but they directed songs at females regardless of the female's attentional state. Together, these data underscore that audiences differentially affect song production in songbirds and suggest that behavioural contingencies could be more important for learning than for reproduction. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mechanisms of learning from social interaction'.