{"id":147635,"date":"2025-03-28T17:34:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T22:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/windycityparrot.com\/?p=147635"},"modified":"2025-03-28T17:34:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T22:34:08","slug":"do-bird-songs-change-over-time-heres-a-bird-song-time-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/?p=147635","title":{"rendered":"Do Bird Songs Change Over Time &#8211; Here&#8217;s a Bird Song Time Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Why Should You Care?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Bird culture is real: Songs change over time, just like slang or memes!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Surprise twist: Even though *whole songs* vanished, the building blocks (syllables) stuck around. It\u2019s like losing entire TikTok trends but keeping the dance moves.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Mystery alert: Scientists still don\u2019t know *why* songs changed so much\u2014maybe bird \u201cimmigrants\u201d brought new tunes, or old songs just went out of style!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">TL;DR: Bird songs are like fashion trends\u2014old ones fade, new ones pop up, but some classic elements never die! <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Bird Song Time Machine! <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B<\/span><b>ird karaoke<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Some birds (like nightingales) learn songs from each other, just like you learn TikTok dances! These songs are passed down through generations, creating a cultural lineage of music within bird communities.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Why songs matter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Their tunes help them find mates, establish territory, scare off rivals, and strengthen social bonds! It&#8217;s their way of communicating vital information about their identity and intentions.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Old vs. new songs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Scientists recorded birds in Finland in 1986 and 2019 to see if their songs changed over 33 years. This time span allowed researchers to track how bird songs evolved across multiple generations, providing insights into cultural shifts and environmental influences.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe title=\"Jungle Birbs | Cozy Calm Tropical Rainforest Ambient Nature Sounds for Birds | Bird Room TV Vibes\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u3E-uQwnJi8\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">What They Found<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Songs changed A LOT<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zero<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> songs from 1986 were still around in 2019. The researchers used advanced audio analysis techniques to compare the songs and found no exact matches across the two time periods.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">It\u2019s like your parents\u2019 favorite 80s hits disappearing from Spotify! This suggests that bird song culture is dynamic and constantly evolving, with new songs replacing older ones over time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>But some parts stayed the same<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"> Over 40% of the \u201csong pieces\u201d (like LEGO blocks of sound) stuck around. These &#8220;song pieces&#8221; are smaller units of sound, such as syllables or motifs, that can be combined to create different song structures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Imagine keeping the same guitar riffs but making a whole new song! This indicates that while entire songs may disappear, certain elements of the songs are preserved and reused in new compositions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>New birds, new rules<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Older birds (1986) had <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more song types<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shorter songs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They had a larger repertoire of songs, but each song was relatively brief.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Newer birds (2019) sang fewer tunes but stretched them out longer. They had a smaller repertoire but sang each song for a longer duration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">This shift in song structure could be due to a variety of factors, such as changes in population density, habitat quality, or social interactions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe title=\"The World's Most Beautiful Bird Songs - Part One\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q15dT8h-ORU\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">How Did They Figure This Out?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Bird recordings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: They compared old tapes (yes, actual <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cassette tapes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!) and new digital recordings. The researchers digitized the old cassette tapes to ensure compatibility with modern analysis tools.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Song detective work<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: They looked at thousands of bird songs and sorted them like puzzle pieces. They used specialized software to analyze the acoustic features of the songs, such as pitch, frequency, and duration.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Math magic<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Used a \u201csimilarity score\u201d to see how much birds copied each other (think of it like a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">playlist match %<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). This allowed them to quantify the degree of similarity between songs and track how songs changed over time.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Why Should You Care?<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Bird culture is real<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Songs change over time, just like slang or memes! This research highlights the importance of cultural transmission in shaping bird behavior and communication.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Surprise twist<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Even though <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whole songs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> vanished, the building blocks (syllables) stuck around. It\u2019s like losing entire TikTok trends but keeping the dance moves. This suggests that there are underlying constraints or preferences that shape the evolution of bird song, even as individual songs come and go.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Mystery alert<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Scientists still don\u2019t know <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">why<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> songs changed so much\u2014maybe bird \u201cimmigrants\u201d brought new tunes, or old songs just went out of style! Further research is needed to unravel the complex factors that drive the evolution of bird song culture.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/product\/higgins-sunburst-song-food-for-canaries-3-oz-85-g\/<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Feathered Factoid<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thrush nightingales can live up to 10 years, but most don\u2019t. So the 2019 birds are like the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">great-great-grandkids<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the 1986 birds! This rapid generational turnover allows for significant cultural changes to occur within a relatively short period.&#8212;&#8211;<\/span><b>TL;DR<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Bird songs are like fashion trends\u2014old ones fade, new ones pop up, but some classic elements never die!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Written by Mitch Rezman and the Windy City Parrot content team<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your Zygodactyl Footnote ~ Our own bird song or who needs an alarm clock?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Should You Care? Bird culture is real: Songs change over time, just like slang or memes!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","_thinkrank_schema_form_data":"","_thinkrank_selected_schema_type":"","_thinkrank_additional_schemas":"","_thinkrank_canonical_url":"","_thinkrank_og_title":"","_thinkrank_og_description":"","_thinkrank_og_image":"","_thinkrank_twitter_title":"","_thinkrank_twitter_description":"","_thinkrank_twitter_image":"","_thinkrank_imported_from":"","_thinkrank_focus_keywords":[],"_thinkrank_focus_keyword":"","_thinkrank_robots_meta_enabled":0,"_thinkrank_robots_meta":"","_thinkrank_advanced_robots_meta":"","_thinkrank_exclude_from_search":0,"_thinkrank_exclude_from_archives":0,"_thinkrank_primary_category":0,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"page_builder":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[194,196,219],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bird-parrot-anaotmy","category-bird-behavior","category-wild-bird-wildlife"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/singing-bird-2.jpg?resize=1140%2C445&ssl=1",1140,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/singing-bird-2.jpg?resize=463%2C348&ssl=1",463,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/singing-bird-2.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/singing-bird-2.jpg?fit=1141%2C1141&ssl=1",1141,1141,false]},"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phcfkq-Cpd","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/singing-bird-2.jpg?fit=1141%2C1141&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/147654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}