There are limited evidence-based husbandry recommendations for laboratory zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), including appropriate light sources. Light-emitting diode (LED) technology has been shown to improve circadian regulation and reduce stress in some laboratory animal species, such as mice and rats, when compared with cool-white fluorescent (CWF) lighting, but the effects of LED lighting on zebra finches have not been published. We compared the effects of broad-spectrum, blue-enriched (6,500 Kelvin) CWF and flicker-free LED lighting on the behavior, stress, and reproductive outcomes of indoor-housed zebra finches. Using breeding pairs housed in cubicles illuminated with either CWF or LED lighting, we compared the reproductive output as determined by clutch size, hatching rate, and hatchling survival rate. We also compared the behavior of group-housed adult males, first housed under CWF followed by LED lighting, using video recordings and an ethogram. Fecal samples were collected from these males at the end of each recording period, and basal fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) levels were compared. A FCM assay for adult male zebra finches was validated for efficacy and accuracy using a capture-restraint acute stress response and parallelism analysis, respectively. The breeding pairs had no significant difference in the clutch size or percent hatching rate, but percent hatchling survival improved under LED with an increased proportion achieving 100% survival. There was no significant difference in FCM between the lighting treatments. However, the activity budgets of the birds were altered, with a reduction in flighted movement and an increase in enrichment manipulation under LED. Overall, these results support the use of blue-enriched, broad-spectrum flicker-free LED as a safe alternative to CWF lighting for breeding and nonbreeding indoor-housed zebra finches.
