Scientists are rethinking the evolution of vocal learning in birds. New Zealand's smallest bird, the rifleman or titipounamu, may have a rudimentary version of the talent possessed by parrots, hummingbirds and songbirds.
Scientists are rethinking the evolution of vocal learning in birds. New Zealand's smallest bird, the rifleman or titipounamu, may have a rudimentary version of the talent possessed by parrots, hummingbirds and songbirds.
Scientists traditionally assumed birds were split into two groups -- those which can learn sounds and those which can't -- but the study published in the scientific journalVocal signatures of distantly related titipounamu had strong similarities if they lived near each other, the Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland research showed. Close relatives living far apart didn't sound similar.
The bird is one of the country's two surviving native wren species and a sort of evolutionary missing link between two of the most impressive learners, songbirds and parrots. Relics of Gondwana, the wrens likely existed in Aotearoa since before the islands broke away from the super continent, roughly 80 million years ago.
First, they closely monitored the nests of titipounamu at Boundary Stream Mainland Island in the Hawke's Bay, identifying and banding individuals and then recording more than 6,800 of the feeding calls routinely made by adult birds bringing food to the young nestlings over three summers. "A growing body of evidence suggests we may need to stop classifying birds as either vocal learners or vocal non-learners," says Cain."The ability may be much more widespread and likely exists along a spectrum."Most animals communicate with unlearned, innate vocalisations, while vocal learners include humans, whales and dolphins, elephants and bats.
The scientists thanked the mana whenua of the Maungaharuru region, the University's engineering team, the Department of Conservation, AgResearch, and the Centre for eResearch.Ines G. Moran, Yen Yi Loo, Stilianos Louca, Nick B. A. Young, Annabel Whibley, Sarah J. Withers, Priscila M. Salloum, Michelle L. Hall, Margaret C. Stanley, Kristal E. Cain.Humans have been long fascinated by bird song and the cacophony of other avian sounds -- from coos and honks to quacks and peeps.
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