Sexual preferences for mate song types in female song sparrows

Copulation solicitation displays were used to investigate whether female song sparrows are especially stimulated by the songs their mates sing. Eight of nine (88.9%) recently captured oestradiol-treated female song sparrows, Melospiza melodia, gave more solicitation displays and displayed more intensely for song types recorded from repertoires of their mates than for songs from other males from the local population. This is the first study to show female sexual preferences for mate song in songbirds and to demonstrate that female song sparrows discriminate in their sexual responses based on song types. It is not known whether these song preferences influenced females' choice of mate in the field or arose after pair formation. Regardless of origin, especially stimulating songs are likely to be important to the reproductive behaviour of females and could influence the mating success of males. (C) 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.