Scientists Are Teaching Birds to Sing Lost Songs

This article was originally published by The Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

A rufous-collared sparrow. Charles J. Sharp via Wikipedia

When bird populations decline, fledglings may struggle to learn the songs they need to attract mates. But new research suggests it is possible to teach birds lost songs.

Listening to birdsong is one of life’s great joys, but when researchers heard a particular tune emerging from a tree in a Buenos Aires park, they were especially jubilant. This arrangement was among those chirped by the local rufous-collared sparrows in the 1960s, but had since disappeared from the area.

That was until scientists created a computer-generated rendition, curious to find out if birds might consider it realistic enough to imitate. Less than three months later, a local avian resident began to copy parts of the song.