A new analysis in Science of more than 116,000 bird songs has revealed that the astonishing variety of passerine birdsong is built from just eight basic acoustic motifs, like trills, whistles, and harmonic notes. https://scim.ag/4ft2KBF

The global biogeography of passerine songs

Although bird songs are classic models for understanding the evolution of vocal communication, their global diversity has long made the development of a unifying framework challenging. By analyzing th...

scim.ag

BBC coverage of the xeno-cantified Science paper: bbc.com/news/article... #bioacoustics

Secrets of birdsongs' 'spectacular diversity' revealed

A scientific study has revealed the acoustic secret that connects all birdsong - and it is surprisingly simple

bbc.com

I had the pleasure to write a commentary in Science about the very comprehensive paper by @quentinbacquele.bsky.social et al. (same issue), on the factors influencing birdsong across the world. Link to my commentary: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/..., originally paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Birdsong diversity across the world

Birdsong motifs are shaped by evolutionary history, biological traits, and environmental constraints

science.org

1/ The world's songbirds sing in just 8 basic sounds. And where a bird lives decides which ones it uses. My first PhD paper is out now in @science.org (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aee6239) Here is what we found: