SSA Brain and behaviour in bird nest building

鸟巢在鸟类繁殖中起着关键作用。它们充当蛋的容器，并提供潜在的保护免受捕食者的侵害，同时帮助父母创造一个最适合孵化和饲养的小气候。筑巢的方式是保护蛋和年轻人免受周围环境的影响，无论是寒冷，风还是太阳辐射。研究表明，物种根据它们所经历的环境条件建造略有不同的巢穴，但人们几乎没有做过什么工作来观察个体是否可以适应他们建造巢穴的方式来应对气候变化。我将研究鸟类的物理认知和筑巢，使用斑胸草雀作为我的研究物种。我将调查斑胸草雀在经历不同的气候时是否会选择不同的材料筑巢，以及它们的材料偏好是否会因为成功养育后代而改变。然后，我会看看材料的偏好是否会随着气候的变化而变化，例如从炎热的前一个繁殖季节到寒冷的繁殖季节。然后，我将致力于确定大脑的哪些部分负责任何潜在的筑巢适应和一般的筑巢行为。

Birds' nests play a key role in avian reproduction. They act as a container for eggs and offer potential protection from predators, while aiding parents to create a microclimate that is optimal for incubation and rearing. Nests are built in a way that protects eggs and young from the surrounding environment, be it the cold, wind or solar radiation. Research has shown species build slightly difference nests depending on what environmental conditions they experience but little work has been done to see if individuals can adapt the way they build nests in response to a changing climate. I will be researching physical cognition and nest building in birds, using zebra finches as my study species. I will investigate whether zebra finches will select different materials for their nests when they experience different climates, and whether their material preference will change if they raise young successfully or not. I will then look to see if material preference changes as the climate changes, from example a hot previous breeding season to a cold breeding season. I will then be aiming to identify what sections of the brain are responsible for any potential nest building adaptations and general nest building behaviour.