Secrets of birdsongs’ ‘spectacular diversity’ revealed
Scientists in France say they have discovered the building blocks of the incredible diversity of bird song.
A team analyzed the songs of more than 100,000 songbirds and found that the world’s bird songs consist of eight basic types of sounds that researchers call “motifs.”
They say that bird songs around the world are composed of combinations of these motifs: three types of trills, three types of whistles, chaotic notes and harmonies.
Birdsong is one of the natural world’s most advanced forms of sound-based communication.
Their diversity and complexity have fascinated biologists, but with so many different songs, it has been difficult to study on a global scale.
Lead researcher and University of Saint-Etienne doctoral student Quentin Bacquelé explained: “The diversity is huge. And if you go to Asia, Africa, Amazonia, you will hear completely different songs.”
In their new study, he and his colleagues used a global database of recordings of birdsong uploaded by thousands of volunteers. This meant they could analyze nearly 116,000 songs from more than 3,000 bird species.
They examined patterns in songs, how each song evolved and changed over time. And with the help of artificial intelligence, they were able to compare thousands of songs to each other and find out what ties them together.
Scientists said this reveals “the simplicity underlying the amazing diversity of birdsong.”
