Australian zebra finches sing a rhythmic high-pitched song while incubating their eggs in a hot environment, which researchers have named a “heat call”. Experiments now show that this call influences ...

Male zebra finches learn their song by imitating conspecifics. To stand out in the crowd, each male develops its own unique song. Because of this individual-specific song, it was long assumed that ...

Since zebra finches are among the very few animals to show vocal learning, they offer unique opportunities to study not only practice and performance, but the process of language acquisition itself.

Complex learning processes like speaking or singing follow similar patterns. Using the example of zebra finches, researchers have investigated how young birds imitate the courtship songs of their ...

A new study shows male zebra finches must sing every day to keep their vocal muscles in shape. Females prefer the songs of males that did their daily vocal workout. Why do songbirds sing so much? Well ...

Research on the songbird zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) has advanced our behavioral, hormonal, neuronal, and genetic understanding of vocal learning. However, little is known about the impact of ...

Rachel Carson’s landmark 1962 environmental science book Silent Spring was an investigation of the environmental harm caused by the use of the synthetic pesticide DDT. The book took its title from the ...

Video demonstrating vocal learning by juvenile zebra finches. A baby’s babbling may sound like nonsense, but it’s actually an extended act of trial-and-error ...