α₁-Noradrenegic receptor antagonism disrupts female songbird responses to male song.

Female songbirds respond behaviorally to differences in male song structure. Past data suggest a complex role for norepinephrine in female responses to song. Here, we examined the effects of central infusions of the α(1)-noradrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin on female European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) responses to nest boxes broadcasting male song. Prazosin disrupted female preferential responses to male starling song over the less biologically relevant purple martin (Progne subis) song. Prazosin decreased female responses to male starling song in a linear dose-response fashion; whereas, it affected responses to purple martin song in a U-shaped dose-response fashion. Results suggest that the role of norepinephrine in female responses to male song differs depending upon drug dose and the biological relevance of the song stimulus.