I am a doctoral candidate in Dr. Ignacio Moore's lab examining the role of cultural divergence in population divergence among allopatric populations of Rufous-Collared Sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) in Ecuador. It is suggested that localized song-dialects facilitate assortative mating, and thereby restrict gene flow among populations. In some allopatric bird populations, songs drift into different dialects. Song can evolve quickly through cultural transmission resulting in regional dialects, which can be a critical component of reproductive isolation through variation in female preference. Female preference for the local dialect may be a mechanism whereby cultural divergence drives genetic divergence on a small spatial scale. Lack of dialect recognition, limits gene flow among populations, acting as a primary reproductive isolating mechanism. I am investigating female and male recognition of non-local dialect in  two allopatric populations. Further, I am investigating if dialectal differences are correlated to genetic differences among eight populations across the Andes Mountains.