According to a new report in the journal Science, they are regulated
by virtually identical neurochemicals in the brain, known as oxytocin
in mammals and mesotocin in birds.
Neurobiologists at Indiana University showed that if the actions of
mesotocin are blocked in the brains of zebra finches, a highly social
songbird, the birds shift their social preferences. They spend
significantly less time with familiar individuals and more time with
unfamiliar individuals. The birds also become less social, preferring
to spend less time with a large group of same-sex birds and more time
with a smaller group. Conversely, if birds are administered mesotocin
instead of the blocker, the finches become more social and prefer
familiar partners.
Perhaps most striking is the fact that none of the treatments affect
males -- only females.
<http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/11615.html>Link
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