A cost-effective Raspberry Pi-based operant playback setup to evaluate auditory preferences in songbirds

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Bioacoustics
• Cognitive neuroscience

Background:

• Song preference is crucial for cognitive processes and learning in songbirds.
• Traditional lab equipment for measuring song preference is expensive and inaccessible.
• Low-cost, do-it-yourself (DIY) equipment is increasingly used in research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a cost-effective operant audio playback system using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.
• To assess black-capped chickadees' preference between conspecific and heterospecific songs using the new system.

Main Methods:

• Constructed an affordable operant audio playback system with Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and open-source software.
• Used a perch-hopping mechanism for birds to self-select acoustic stimuli.
• Recorded bird behavior automatically during a conspecific-heterospecific song preference task.

Main Results:

• The system successfully engaged birds, validating its functionality for preference testing.
• No significant preference was found for conspecific (black-capped chickadee) songs over heterospecific (white-throated sparrow) songs in the tested sample.
• Individual variation in preference dynamics suggests factors like age or experience may play a role.

Conclusions:

• The developed operant audio playback system is a cost-effective alternative to commercial equipment for studying animal acoustic preferences.
• While this study did not find a clear song preference, the system's validation opens avenues for future research on factors influencing preference.
• Further research is needed to explore reasons for the lack of preference, such as environmental factors or stimulus novelty.