Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches
Published on: December 26, 2019
A GENETIC AND BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS OF MATE CHOICE AND SONG NEIGHBORHOODS IN INDIGO BUNTINGS
Robert B Payne1, David F Westneat2
1Museum of Zoology and Department of Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109.
Abstract:
Neighboring males of indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) share songs in southern Michigan. We sampled polymorphic enzymes to compare the genetic variation between mates and the variation among contiguous song neighborhoods. Mate choice was independent of the genetic and morphometric similarity of female and male, and these measures were independent of each other. The incidence of extrapair copulations and fertilizations was independent of the song of cuckolding males. Breeding success of the mated pairs was independent of their genetic or morphological similarity. Males characterized by different song dialects did not differ in mean lifetime reproductive success. We found no significant genetic differences among the neighborhoods. Most birds that bred in one song neighborhood were born in another, and neighborhoods were not isolated demes. Bunting songs may provide no information to a female about genetic quality of males. The results are consistent with a neutral model of no mate choice for genes.
Related Concept Videos
Mate Choice
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
Types of Selection
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...
Conservation of Declining Populations
Frequency-dependent Selection

