Why the swamp sparrow is hitting the high notes
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 01:41
in Biology & Nature
Birdsongs are used extensively as models for animal signaling and human speech, offering a glimpse of how our own communicating abilities developed. A new study by Adrienne DuBois, a graduate student at the University of Miami (UM) College of Arts and Sciences Department of Biology, shows that the Swamp Sparrow has the ability to emit songs that are physically difficult to produce during hostile situations, implying that songbirds use sophisticated vocal performances as signals in aggressive communication. The findings contribute to the current understanding of how animals use signals to communicate.