The Songs of Male Cowbirds Reared in Isolation from Male

Multiple Choice

The songs of male cowbirds reared in isolation from male conspecifics were substantially more appealing to female cowbirds than were the songs of normal males. Why were their songs believed to be more potent than those of the group reared males?

A) Group reared males learned a slightly more confused version of the song than did isolates.
B) Group reared males sang high potency songs and were frequently killed, leaving only the isolates to sing.
C) The isolates had not yet discarded the extra songs from an overproduced repertoire.
D) The isolates had not yet learned to modulate the potency of their songs in the presence of dominant males.