Late-hatched canaries learn their songs as well as early-hatched birds

[PhysOrg]

Most songbirds learn their songs from their father or other male conspecifics. The variables that control the song learning process in a natural social environment are still largely unknown. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen now compared learned songs from male canaries that hatched at the beginning and at the end of the breeding season. During the song learning phase early hatched juveniles had a large number of adult tutors available whereas late hatched birds only heard a few or even no adult songs at all. The results showed that already in autumn both groups of birds were similar in their song organisation and song performance, which suggests that late-hatched males must have undergone accelerated song development.

 

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