Male Preferences for Female Vocalisation in Domestic Canary ( <i>Serinus canaria</i> )

ABSTRACT In birds, vocal interactions are essential during reproduction. However, the majority of studies on vocalisation discrimination and mate preferences in birds are biased in favour of females. Indeed, few studies have focused on male perception and preferences for female vocalisations. Thus, this study aims to determine male preferences for a type of female vocalisation in the domestic canary, Serinus canaria . To do this, we tested sexually receptive males in an operant conditioning test. The males tested were given the opportunity to choose between two keys and pressing the keys triggered the broadcast of female‐specific copulation solicitation trills (CST) with a different number of notes per second. This experiment did not reveal preferences that could be generalised to the group but individual preferences could be highlighted. Further studies will be needed to explain these results and to better understand male preference in monogamous species.