Behavior of male and female zebra finches treated with an estrogen synthesis inhibitor as nestlings

In order to test hypotheses about the organizational role of early estrogen in the sexual differentiation of behavior in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), newly hatched birds were given one of three treatments: (1) daily injection with an aromatase inhibitor (fadrozole hydrochloride) for the first week; (2) the same treatment for the first two weeks; (3) daily injection of the vehicle for one or two weeks. As adults, birds were implanted with testosterone propionate and underwent a three-phase testing procedure designed to measure singing, dancing, copulation, and preferences for male vs female partners. Males were completely unaffected by fadrozole hydrochloride treatment; they sang, danced, and mounted at control levels, and like control males they preferred female partners. Females were similarly unaffected, with one important exception: those treated with fadrozole hydrochloride during the first week preferred to be spend time near females instead of males in choice tests, unlike control females. These results suggest that a model of zebra finch sexual differentiation in which estrogen organizes male-typical behavior is unlikely to be correct. At the same time, they provide evidence that a key dimorphic feature of mate choice, preference for opposite-sex birds (sexual orientation), may result from organizational hormone actions during the early post-hatching period in this pair-bonding species.