NEURAL BASES OF SONG PREFERENCES IN FEMALE ZEBRA FINCHES (TAENIOPYGIA-GUTTATA)

WE examined the neural bases of song preferences in female zebra finch es (Taeniopygia guttata). Females performed more courtship displays in response to conspecific songs than to heterospecific songs. Following electrolytic lesion to the HVc (sometimes referred to as high vocal c enter), females maintained normal song preferences. However, following lesion to cHV (caudal hyperstriatum ventrale, an auditory area) femal es performed courtship displays at high rates in response to both cons pecific and heterospecific song. Thus cHV, but not HVc, must be intact for female zebra finches to exhibit normal song preferences. Differen ces between this study and those showing HVc lesions disrupting song p references in female canaries (Serinus canaria) indicate interspecific variation in the function of HVc in female songbirds. NeuroReport 9: 3047-3052 (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.