How does social context influence the learning and expression of birdsong?

Birdsong is the classic example of how genetic determinants, development, physiology, and learning can interact to generate and control even complex behaviors. As you saw with the white-crowned sparrow, the nestlings must experience their species-specific song if they are going to sing it (males) and respond to it (females) as adults. But there is a genetically determined template of what they can and will learn. With physiological maturation, they begin to sing poorly and must hear themselves and practice to be able to sing their species-specific songs. Social context also plays a role in learning small variations of dialects in song that may play a role in population as well as individual identity. Social context also influences what and when singing occurs. Singing intensifies in the presence of competitors and also potential or current mates. The experiments by Woolley and Doupe on zebra finches showed that even though there were only small differences between songs when males sang alone or in the presence of a female, these differences were clearly recognized by females and influenced their behaviors. Studies of birdsong emphasize the importance of considering the evolution of a behavior from the angles of all of the different individuals involved, and at the various levels of biological organization that contribute to the behavior.

Future directions

Language is considered a unique characteristic of humans. Many animals use simple acoustical signals to communicate, but the fine motor control necessary to produce precise, fine-tuned, rapid complex vocalizations is found only in humans and songbirds. Whereas birdsong is recognized to be elaborate but highly stereotyped territorial and mating signals, recent studies like those of Woolley and Doupe are showing that small variations in song can convey more detailed information about the identity of the individual, its intentions, and the social context in which it is behaving. Can birdsong be used to convey more complex information? Can birdsong be a form of simple language? If so, we have much more to learn about the cognitive abilities of birds. Language is used to construct our views of ourselves and of our position in our physical and social environments, and to be able to project those views into the past and into the future—the essence of consciousness. Could birds be better models for human cognitive processes than the mammals typically used in laboratory studies?