The focus of my research is on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying animal behavior. A zebra finch male (Taeniopygia guttata) has to learn his song and long call from an adult tutor (often the father) early in development during a sensitive phase. Females do not sing themselves, but do prefer their fathers' song in a choice test and they produce a long call that is not learned. The zebra finch is a great model organism to study a broad range of questions, from social communication to auditory memory and learning of complex motor skills. I approach these questions from different levels, combining molecular techniques, neurophysiological methods and behavioral testing.