New research by Cornell University psychologists has revealed more about how zebra finches learn their songs. Instead of simply imitating adults, they actually learn by watching their mother’s reactions to their immature songs. This solves the mystery of why juvenile male zebra finches learn to sing better when females are around, even though the females themselves don’t sing. Instead, the adult females guide the juveniles’ songs in a similar fashion to how human babies learn to talk.
Cornell University is a member of NYSERNet’s R&E network. Read more about the study here: http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/01/psychologists-solve-mystery-songbird-learning