DIFFERENCES IN THE SEXUAL CONDITIONED BEHAVIOR OF MALE AND FEMALE JAPANESE-QUAIL (COTURNIX JAPONICA)

The conditioned responses of male and female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were compared in a Pavlovian conditioning procedure in which presentation of a brief conditioned stimulus was immediately followed by the release of a copulation partner. Male quail vigorously approac hed the conditioned stimulus and were much more likely to enter the co mpartment housing their copulation partner than were female birds (Exp eriment 1). In females, sexual conditioning resulted in increased squa tting (Experiment 2). This response was the reflection of sexual behav ior rather than more general social behavior (Experiment 3). These fin dings provide the first definitive evidence of sexual learning in fema le quail and are consistent with the interpretation that sexual condit ioning increases sexual arousal or receptivity in both sexes but the i ncrease has different behavioral manifestations in male and female qua il.