This chapter is an overview of the field of animal social learning (including teaching). It covers how and why social learning is studied in both captive and wild animals, by researchers from various fields with different agendas.I outline the state of play, in studies of captive and wild animals, regarding (i) the various ways in which individuals may learn socially (social learning processes), (ii) the biases they may have in this learning (social learning strategies or transmission biases), and (iii) the evidence for culture and cumulative culture.The interdisciplinary nature of the field is emphasized, through discussion of its influences on theories regarding modularity in the brain (the biological basis of social learning), the evolution of social intelligence, and animal conservation and welfare.

Birds have contributed a great deal to our understanding of social learning. In this chapter we briefly review this extensive body of research, describing the contexts in which birds use social information to make behavioral decisions. We discuss the ecological factors that promote social learning, and the mechanisms by which social learning occurs. We consider individual differences in social learning, focusing on how learning strategies and biases influence when, how and from whom birds will learn. We examine the consequences of social learning for evolutionary processes, from the emergence of culture to speciation and adaptation to environmental change. Finally, we highlight how knowledge of social learning processes can be applied in the conservation and management of threatened bird species.