Young male songbirds usually learn their songs from adult songbirds. But when those young birds do not have older ones to teach them, they have less success attracting mates. For five years, ecologist Ross Crates with Australian National University has studied the singing ability and mating success of birds called regent honeyeaters. These black and yellow birds were once common across Australia. But loss of their living space since the 1950s has decreased their population to only about 300 or 400 wild birds today. Male birds once formed large groups in the winter. Now they are spread out across the country, so many fly alone. That means fewer honeyeater adults are nearby during the young birds’ first year of life. “Song learning in many birds is a process similar to humans learning languages, they learn by listening to other individuals,” said Crates. “If you can’t listen to other individuals, you don’t know what you should be learning.”
Title: How Do Songbirds Learn Their Songs?
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='How Do Songbirds Learn Their Songs?' data-article-id='5503'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='5771'>Young male songbirds usually learn their songs from adult songbirds.</span> <span data-start-time='5771' data-end-time='15396'> But when those young birds do not have older ones to teach them, they have less success attracting mates.</span> <span data-start-time='15396' data-end-time='30625'>For five years, ecologist Ross Crates with Australian National University has studied the singing ability and mating success of birds called regent honeyeaters.</span> <span data-start-time='30625' data-end-time='37604'>These black and yellow birds were once common across Australia.</span> <span data-start-time='37604' data-end-time='50708'> But loss of their living space since the 1950s has decreased their population to only about 300 or 400 wild birds today.</span> <span data-start-time='50708' data-end-time='56688'>Male birds once formed large groups in the winter.</span> <span data-start-time='56688' data-end-time='62875'>Now they are spread out across the country, so many fly alone.</span> <span data-start-time='62875' data-end-time='71333'>That means fewer honeyeater adults are nearby during the young birds’ first year of life.</span> <span data-start-time='71333' data-end-time='84188'>“Song learning in many birds is a process similar to humans learning languages, they learn by listening to other individuals,” said Crates.</span> <span data-start-time='84188' data-end-time='91083'>“If you can’t listen to other individuals, you don’t know what you should be learning.”</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/A.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17079 data-hint-location='15396' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/what_is_an_ecologist.wav'>What is an ecologist?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='someone who studies the interrelationship of organisms and their environments'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/someone_who_sells_birds_and_other_wildlife.wav'><span>someone who sells birds and other wildlife</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/a_bird_trainer.wav'><span>a bird trainer</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/someone_who_studies_the_interrelationship_of_organisms_and_their_environments.wav'><span>someone who studies the interrelationship of organisms and their environments</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/someone_who_studies_ancient_bird_paintings.wav'><span>someone who studies ancient bird paintings</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17080 data-hint-location='5771' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/what_happens_when_young_birds_do_not_have_older_birds_to_teach_them_to_sing.wav'>What happens when young birds do not have older birds to teach them to sing?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='they have less success attracting mates'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/they_have_less_success_attracting_mates.wav'><span>they have less success attracting mates</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/they_die_young.wav'><span>they die young</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/they_have_less_success_fining_food.wav'><span>they have less success fining food</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/the_live_longer.wav'><span>the live longer</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17081 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/young_songbirds_usually_learn_their_songs_from__blank_.wav'>Young songbirds usually learn their songs from <span class='blank'>adult songbirds</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='adult songbirds'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/other_animals.wav'><span>other animals</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/adult_songbirds.wav'><span>adult songbirds</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/the_sound_of_the_wind.wav'><span>the sound of the wind</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/instinct.wav'><span>instinct</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
Sound Name: https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4979/A.wav
Preview
