Biologists Discover Male Hummingbirds Can Learn New Songs for Mating Purposes

Scientists once believed that the male hummingbird's mating strategy was set in stone. By possessing a set of physical approaches and learning their "song" when they were young, the males were prepared to attract a female. But a recent study shows that the males can adapt.

Courtship dances, fluttering tail feathers and flying strategies were incorporated into the hummingbirds' arsenal to find a mating partner, as described in this EurekAlert! article. Additionally, scientists have long believed that the hummingbird's song--the quality that perhaps plays the most important role--was learned in its youth, as it polished the melody for the rest of its life. Timothy Wright, a biologist at New Mexico State University, has conducted a study that provides new insight into the songs of a male hummingbird.

Wright's team of researchers has been studying male long-billed hummingbirds in Costa Rica. After taking into account that a hummingbird's song typically varies by individual or location, the team found that these hummingbirds are capable of learning new songs later in life. Wright found that in most cases, this "new song" is similar to the ones sung by the hummingbird's neighbors, but there are times when a male can independently develop a new song.

"This is the first time such open-ended learning has been shown in a hummingbird," said Wright in this National Geographic article. "I am continually amazed by the effort these males will put into singing, displaying and defending a territory."

Wright and his team are now trying to determine whether the hummingbirds' development of the new song is a definitive strategy for the males to seek out females. After analyzing other behaviors of the male hummingbird, such as hovering, tail flicking and defending a territory, it could be a reasonable possibility.

The hummingbirds' strategy and ritual aims to fend off "lek," otherwise known as rival hummingbird males seeking females in the same area. The ability to develop a new song later in life could prove to be an adapting skill never seen before.

To read more about hummingbirds mating strategy and Wright's study, visit this EurekAlert! article and this National Geographic article.