The study of vocal production learning in birds is heavily biased towards oscine songbirds,
making the songbird model the reference for comparative studies. However, as vocal …

Behavioral changes, such as those involved in mating, foraging, and migration, can
generate reproductive barriers between populations. Birds, in particular, are known for their …

To better determine the history of modern birds, we performed a genome-scale phylogenetic
analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves using phylogenomic methods …

Individuals of some animal species have been taught simple versions of human language
despite their natural communication systems failing to rise to the level of a simple language …

The most language-like aspect of the song of songbirds is its development: as with human
speech, birdsong develops through vocal production learning, in which individuals modify …

The ability to imitate complex sounds is rare, and among birds has been found only in
parrots, songbirds, and hummingbirds. Parrots exhibit the most advanced vocal mimicry …

Elaborate plumages and songs in male birds provide classic evidence for Darwinian sexual
selection. However, trait elaboration in birds is not gender-restricted: female song has …

The origin of vocal learning in animals has long been the subject of debate, but progress
has been limited by uncertainty regarding the distribution of learning mechanisms across the …

The extent to which nonhuman animals can learn actual human language is a controversial
question, but many nonhuman species have acquired elements of a two-way …

A key feature of vocal ontogeny in a variety of taxa with extensive vocal repertoires is a
developmental pattern in which vocal exploration is followed by a period of category …