1) Male zebra finches were found to respond differently to calls from their mate versus other females depending on their social context. Specifically, males responded much more to their mate's call when with a mated pair compared to when alone or with other unmated males.
2) Previous studies found male zebra finches did not show mate recognition from female calls. However, the new study found female calls contain identifiable acoustic features allowing for individual recognition.
3) The results suggest social context can influence mate recognition in birds, challenging the view that complex social assessments are unique to primates.