Bird Song

Bird song, ecology and speciation.

The study of bird song dialects was once considered the most promising approach for investigating the role of behaviour in reproductive divergence and speciation. However, after a series of studies yielding conflicting results, research in the field slowed significantly. Recent findings, on how ecological factors may lead to divergence in both song and morphology, necessitate a re-examination. ...

Predicting bird song from space

Environmentally imposed selection pressures are well known to shape animal signals. Changes in these signals can result in recognition mismatches between individuals living in different habitats, leading to reproductive divergence and speciation. For example, numerous studies have shown that differences in avian song may be a potent prezygotic isolating mechanism. Typically, however, detailed s...

“Bird Song Metronomics”: Isochronous Organization of Zebra Finch Song Rhythm

The human capacity for speech and vocal music depends on vocal imitation. Songbirds, in contrast to non-human primates, share this vocal production learning with humans. The process through which birds and humans learn many of their vocalizations as well as the underlying neural system exhibit a number of striking parallels and have been widely researched. In contrast, rhythm, a key feature of ...

Bird-DB: A database for annotated bird song sequences

Selection-based learning in bird song development.

Bird song is a model system for study of the neurobiology, development, and functions of learned vocal communication signals. Research on avian song learning has been dominated by an instructive model of learning--the sensorimotor model. Developmental plasticity is assumed to be based on the incorporation of novel material into the song repertoire. Experimental evidence now indicates an alterna...