Editing Bird vocalization (section)

==== Dopamine circuits and cultural transmission ====
A recent study has shown that a dopamine circuit in zebra finches may promote social learning of bird song from tutors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tanaka|first1=Masashi|last2=Sun|first2=Fangmiao|last3=Li|first3=Yulong|last4=Mooney|first4=Richard|date=2018|title=A mesocortical dopamine circuit enables the cultural transmission of vocal behaviour|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=563|issue=7729|pages=117–120|doi=10.1038/s41586-018-0636-7|issn=1476-4687|pmc=6219627|pmid=30333629|bibcode=2018Natur.563..117T}}</ref> Their data shows that certain brain areas in juvenile zebra finches are excited by the singing of conspecific (i.e. same-species) tutors and not by loudspeakers playing zebra finch song. Additionally, they show that dopamine released into the HVC aids in the encoding of song.