FEMALE CANARIES ARE SEXUALLY RESPONSIVE TO SPECIAL SONG PHRASES

The sexual responsiveness of female canaries, Serinus canaria, to six different types of male song phrases extracted from natural songs was tested. Copulation solicitation displays were used as an index of fema le sexual response. Playbacks were performed several days before and d uring egg laying (a period of natural sexual responsiveness of the fem ales to song). Female canaries were especially responsive to particula r short phrases whose essential features were abrupt frequency fall an d short silences. This differential responsiveness occurred whatever t he serial position (beginning, middle or end) of the phrase in the son g and its serial relationship to other different conspecific phrases a s well as the general song context (conspecific or heterospecific phra ses). Influences such as early experience or 'sensory bias' that may l ead to a particular sexual sensitivity of female canaries to these typ es of song phrases are discussed.