Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Bird song is a popular subject in poetry. Famous examples inspired by bird song include the 1177 Persian poem "The Conference of the Birds", in which the birds of the world assemble under the wisest bird, the hoopoe, to decide who is to be their king. [161]
Although most birds acquire song learning within the first year, brown-headed cowbirds have a delayed sensitive period, occurring approximately one year after hatching. [35] This may be an adaptation to prevent the young birds from learning the songs from the foreign bird species.
Birds communicate with their flockmates through song, calls, and body language. Studies have shown that the intricate territorial songs of some birds must be learned at an early age, and that the memory of the song will serve the bird for the rest of its life. Some bird species are able to communicate in several regional varieties of their songs.
In many species of songbirds, songs seem to be used both as a way to attract potential mates, as well as to mark and defend one's territory. It has been observed that young songbirds acquire their ability to produce song from imitation of adult birds. [20] There seems to be a critical period for song learning.
Vocal learning is the ability to modify acoustic and syntactic sounds, acquire new sounds via imitation, and produce vocalizations. "Vocalizations" in this case refers only to sounds generated by the vocal organ (mammalian larynx or avian syrinx) as opposed to by the lips, teeth, and tongue, which require substantially less motor control. [1]
With climate change spurring earlier springs across much of North America, many birds are laying their eggs earlier in the year, according to a new study – adding to mounting evidence that ...
Birds acquire some pigments, such as carotenoids, by eating fruits, seeds, or insects. Carotenoids produce the bright reds, yellows, and oranges seen in birds, and they are the same pigments that ...
In males, however, most song system neurons respond maximally to the sound of the bird's own song, even more than they do to the tutor's song or any other conspecific song. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] In HVC, neurons switch from responding best to tutor song (35–69 days post-hatch) to responding best to the bird's own song (>70 days post-hatch). [ 8 ]