Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. GrrlScientist writes about evolution, ecology, behavior and health. But one thing that Mozart probably never knew about his ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. There’s a massive difference between vocal learning bird species and birds that rely on innate calls. You can teach certain birds ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Orange-crowned Warbler sitting on a branch, singing. Some of these songbirds will collect in “song neighborhoods” made of two to ...

A symphony of synapses fires every time a songbird sings. For Erich Jarvis, a neurobiologist at Rockefeller University, the neural pathways he finds particularly interesting inside a bird’s brain are ...

Researchers have mapped the long-range synaptic connections involved in vocal learning in zebra finches, uncovering new details about how the brain organizes learned vocalizations such as birdsong.

The European starling boasts a remarkable repertoire. Versatile songbirds that learn warbles, whistles, calls, and songs throughout their lives, starlings rank among the most advanced avian vocal ...

Some birds—including blue jays—are strong vocal learners that can mimic other birds and make lots of different sounds. Jocelyn Anderson via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 3.0 Birds can make an array of ...

Language learning becomes more challenging for people as we age. Children learn languages easily, but this facility begins to decline when we reach our twenties and beyond. Why? To better understand ...

Not all pet birds have the physical or cognitive ability to learn songs, and understanding the difference can help owners set realistic expectations. For example, vocal learning species—including ...

Orange-crowned Warbler sitting on a branch, singing. Some of these songbirds will collect in “song neighborhoods” made of two to six males who mimic the songs of each other.© Dee Carpenter ...

The European starling boasts a remarkable repertoire. Versatile songbirds that learn warbles, whistles, calls, and songs throughout their lives, starlings rank among the most advanced avian vocal ...