ChatterBank2 mins ago
birds dialect
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Please can someone advise me if I am correct in believing that I have heard that birds from different regions have a dialect of their own. My mates will not believe at the pub, but I am sure that this is a fact.
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Springdouble, all birds have their own distinct call. Take the sparrow for example, which can be found in many coutries in the world. Now if you took one from England say and placed it in Spain, don't you think that the Spanish Sparrows would know that it was also one of them??
Their song voice is the same no matter where they are. So that makes them universal, so to speak. I would doubt very muchif they have a regional dialect.
However, Birds that are not native to GB, but migrate to here, then of course, they will identify with each other. So I think that is what you are maybe thinking about.
Their song voice is the same no matter where they are. So that makes them universal, so to speak. I would doubt very muchif they have a regional dialect.
However, Birds that are not native to GB, but migrate to here, then of course, they will identify with each other. So I think that is what you are maybe thinking about.
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SCIENCE WATCH; The Dialects of Birds
Published: Tuesday, February 24, 1987
BIRDS sing in dialects as distinct to the avian ear as the difference between a Boston and Mississippi accent is to humans. But there has been a long debate over the significance, if any, of local differences in the songs of a particular species.
According to one major theory, birds are inclined to choose a mate with the same dialect because that helps keep the local group together, thus selectively preserving inborn behavior patterns and capabilities that are most succesful in coping with the local environment.
Scientists studying brown-headed cowbirds have developed a new theory. They believe the female bird ***** an educated ear to the accent of the male in choosing her mate, not so much from chauvinism as from the assurance that the right song means that the male is biologically fit.
The new idea is proposed in the ornithological journal Condor by Stephen I. Rothstein of the University of California at Santa Barbara and Robert C. Fleischer of the University of Hawaii. Their theory is based on observations of the brown-headed cowbird in the eastern Sierra Nevadas. Cowbirds are notorious among bird fanciers because they lay their eggs in the nests of other species, thus shirking the duties of parenthood.
The birds also have a considerable repertoire of sounds, including whistles in flight and elaborate songs used when they perch together. The female cowbirds respond respond more frequently to the local dialect than to males with a ''foreign'' accent.
The scientists said it seemed to be difficult for a cowbird to learn a new dialect. If that is the case, they argue, the female is assured by the local accent that the male is mature and has been around long enough to demonstrate an ability to defend its local territory - in short, a biologically fit
SCIENCE WATCH; The Dialects of Birds
Published: Tuesday, February 24, 1987
BIRDS sing in dialects as distinct to the avian ear as the difference between a Boston and Mississippi accent is to humans. But there has been a long debate over the significance, if any, of local differences in the songs of a particular species.
According to one major theory, birds are inclined to choose a mate with the same dialect because that helps keep the local group together, thus selectively preserving inborn behavior patterns and capabilities that are most succesful in coping with the local environment.
Scientists studying brown-headed cowbirds have developed a new theory. They believe the female bird ***** an educated ear to the accent of the male in choosing her mate, not so much from chauvinism as from the assurance that the right song means that the male is biologically fit.
The new idea is proposed in the ornithological journal Condor by Stephen I. Rothstein of the University of California at Santa Barbara and Robert C. Fleischer of the University of Hawaii. Their theory is based on observations of the brown-headed cowbird in the eastern Sierra Nevadas. Cowbirds are notorious among bird fanciers because they lay their eggs in the nests of other species, thus shirking the duties of parenthood.
The birds also have a considerable repertoire of sounds, including whistles in flight and elaborate songs used when they perch together. The female cowbirds respond respond more frequently to the local dialect than to males with a ''foreign'' accent.
The scientists said it seemed to be difficult for a cowbird to learn a new dialect. If that is the case, they argue, the female is assured by the local accent that the male is mature and has been around long enough to demonstrate an ability to defend its local territory - in short, a biologically fit
glad you found the answer to your problem! You are indeed correct- it is a well known fact in the birdy world that birds do have 2regional accents" - a blackbird in the south east may well have a slightly different song form one in the northwest. Also there can be a difference between urban and suburban birds of the same species- city dwelling birds have to raise the pitch of their songs to be heard over man made noise and their song will be different to birds living just a few miles away in the sticks.
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