Tag: social learning
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Global Birds Share a Mysterious Warning Cry: The First Learned-Vocal Across Species
Overview: A World-spanning warning cry In a landmark study released in Nature Ecology and Evolution on October 3, researchers report that more than 20 bird species across four continents produce nearly identical whining vocalizations when they spot a brood parasite in their territory. This finding represents the first known example of an animal vocalization that…
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Birds’ Vocal Warnings Help Explain Language Origins
Global Insight: Similar warnings across continents A multinational team of researchers has found that more than 20 bird species across four continents announce the presence of nest parasites with nearly identical whining vocalizations. This remarkable convergence occurs despite millions of years of evolution and vast geographic separation, suggesting a learned response to a common ecological…
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Birds’ Vocal Warnings Point to Language Origins: Global Study
Birds’ Vocal Warnings Reveal a Global Link to Language Origins ITHACA, N.Y. – A remarkable cross-continental discovery shows that more than two dozen bird species, spread across four continents, share a nearly identical whining vocal warning. The sound is produced when a parasite bird—such as a cuckoo—intrudes on a nest, and the host birds identify…