How Birds Learn Songs Through Imitation

How do birds learn through imitation? Scientists have taken a closer look at the brain circuitry in young zebra finches and have found how they go from listening to their fathers' songs to knowing the songs themselves.

"While we have known for decades that adolescent songbirds only learn their songs if exposed to a tutor, we believe our study is the first to detail changes in nerve networks that make this mastery possible in maturing brains," said Michael Long, the senior study investigator, in a news release. "Our results show that finch song learning reflects a 'dance' inside the brain's vocal control center between the nerve cells that capture information as the bird listens and those that direct muscle movement as it sings."

In this latest study, the researchers found that early in adolescence, just listening to a father's song turns on the same brain cell networks that a young bird will use later to sing the song once learned. The researchers also found that a set of nerve cells in the brain dampen the activity of the surrounding nerves to sculpt sensory input and function. Called interneurons, they suppress the impact of each note in a father's song as soon as it is learned, "locking" it into the bird's memory.

"Our research advances the understanding of how skilled behaviors are learned and the role played by sensory inhibition in making memorized patterns permanent," said Long. This sort of framework, in theory, could apply to complex behaviors in people, such as dancing or playing a game like baseball.

The findings are published in the journal Science.

Related Articles

Songbirds May Sing Like Human Opera Singers with Complex Vocal Cords

Flexible Soaring Style Helps Vultures Stay Aloft While Hunting for Carrion

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).