The domain of syntax is seen as the core of the language faculty and as the most critical
difference between animal vocalizations and language. We review evidence from …

Zebra finches are an important model for vocal learning and avian mate choice. The two are
contingent on each other: males' learned songs are addressed at females with learned …

The voices of birds have always been a source of fascination. Nature's Music brings together
some of the world's experts on birdsong, to review the advances that have taken place in our …

In a variety of songbirds the production of trilled song elements is constrained by a
performance tradeoff between how fast a bird can repeat trill units (trill rate) and the range of …

Using the responses of territory owners to playback to infer the territorial function of acoustic
signals is common practice. However, difficulties with interpreting the results of such …

The evolution of sexually monomorphic (ie mutual) ornamentation has attracted growing
attention as a 'blind‐spot'in evolutionary biology. The popular consensus is that female …

The function of song has been well studied in numerous taxa and plays a role in mediating
both intersexual and intrasexual interactions. Humpback whales are among few mammals …

Birdsong is a sexually selected and culturally transmitted multidimensional signal. Sexually
selected traits are generally assumed to indicate condition. In oscine songbirds, song is …

Evolution has not typically been recognised by linguists as a constraining factor when
developing linguistic theories. This book demonstrates that our theories of language must …

Cultural transmission can increase the flexibility of behavior, such as bird song.
Nevertheless, this flexibility often appears to be constrained, sometimes by preferences for …