Sillyhuron
Ephemeral Spectre
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2020
- Messages
- 286
Oh, for "sweet, sweet can-a-da, can-a-da, can-a-da"!
Study finds British Columbia birds’ dropped-end note of call has spread across country
Patrick Barkham
Thu 2 Jul 2020 16.00 BST
Last modified on Thu 2 Jul 2020 17.55 BST
If you consider Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep to be the ultimate catchy tune, think again: the white-throated sparrows of British Columbia have devised a new song that has gone viral across Canada.
For years, the small songbird’s traditional descending whistle featured a three-note ending. But researchers have tracked how a unique two-note-ending version of the male bird’s call has rapidly spread 3,000km (1,864 miles) eastwards from western Canada to central Ontario during this century.
Many bird species are known to change their songs over time but these “cultural” evolutions usually stay within local populations, becoming a regional “dialect” rather than the new normal for a whole species. Scientists have not previously observed how a new song dialect quickly moves across a continent.
Full Article:
www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/02/why-canadian-white-throated-sparrows-have-changed-their-tune&usg=AOvVaw01FcpeN10pe9LVUNabHyJH
Study finds British Columbia birds’ dropped-end note of call has spread across country
Patrick Barkham
Thu 2 Jul 2020 16.00 BST
Last modified on Thu 2 Jul 2020 17.55 BST
If you consider Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep to be the ultimate catchy tune, think again: the white-throated sparrows of British Columbia have devised a new song that has gone viral across Canada.
For years, the small songbird’s traditional descending whistle featured a three-note ending. But researchers have tracked how a unique two-note-ending version of the male bird’s call has rapidly spread 3,000km (1,864 miles) eastwards from western Canada to central Ontario during this century.
Many bird species are known to change their songs over time but these “cultural” evolutions usually stay within local populations, becoming a regional “dialect” rather than the new normal for a whole species. Scientists have not previously observed how a new song dialect quickly moves across a continent.
Full Article:
www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/02/why-canadian-white-throated-sparrows-have-changed-their-tune&usg=AOvVaw01FcpeN10pe9LVUNabHyJH