Sexual imprinting: A sensitive period in Japanese quail ( Coturnix coturnix japonica ).

Abstract

The effects of varying age levels at which male Japanese quail were exposed to an adult female albino conspecific for 10 days were investigated. Groups of subjects were exposed to albinos for 1-10, 6-15, 11-20, 16-25 and 21-30 days posthatch or were reared with normal age mates for 10 days. Experimental males were tested in a simultaneous choice test between an albino and a normal female. Subjects that selected albinos in at least 8 of 10 trials were considered to be imprinted to albinos. With that criterion, a sensitive period for sexual imprinting was described. These data do not support an association-learning view of the imprinting process, and they describe a sensitive period of considerably greater length than Lorenz''s original view of the imprinting process.