We examined differences in the fear response between Bengalese finches and their wild
ancestor, the white-backed munia, to explore the evolutionary mechanisms of behavioural
changes due to domestication. The Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica) was
domesticated from the wild-living white-backed munia (L. striata) approximately 250 years
ago. A previous study indicated that Bengalese finches sing much more complex songs than
white-backed munias. We hypothesised that Bengalese finches are likely able to allocate …