Social transmission of courtship behavior and mating preferences in brown-headed cowbirds,Molothrus ater

Robust autumn social attributes predict spring courtship skills in juvenile female brown-headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater

0003-3472/$38.00 The Association for the Study of A http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.01.009 Individuals often show predictable variation in social tendencies over time and across contexts. In species that rely on social interaction for the development of courtship behaviours, predictable variation in juvenile social behaviour may influence the ontogeny of courtship skills by exposing yo...

Cultural transmission of vocal traditions in cowbirds (Molothrus ater) influences courtship patterns and mate preferences.

In this study, the authors tested the cultural transmission of vocal traditions in cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Young cowbirds from a South Dakota (SD) population were housed over winter with adults of the SD population or with adults from an Indiana (IN) population. Song differences between the original SD and IN adult models were acquired by South Dakota culture (SDC) and Indiana culture (INC) ...

Developmental origins of sociality in brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater).

Five variables were studied relating to the emergence of sociality in hand-reared cowbirds (Molothrus ater): proximity, sex assortment, reactions to adults, head-down displays, and vocalizations. The authors were especially interested in female sociality because adult female birds influence male courtship, song content, and use through proximity, attention, and displays. The authors found that ...

FEMALE INFLUENCE IN THE BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (Molothrus ater): AN INVESTIGATION OF EMERGING SOCIAL ECOLOGIES

The presumption of sociality: social learning in diverse contexts in brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater).

Data are presented on social and vocal learning in cowbirds (Molothrus ater) housed in large aviaries and given more degrees of freedom than in conventional experimental studies. The studies show that social and vocal outcomes are facultative responses to social contexts. Several findings are reviewed: First, cowbirds quickly self-organize into groups by age and sex; second, opportunities to in...