WEBVTT - Why Do Female Songbirds Sing?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Boglebaum Here, many bird watchers, or

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<v Speaker 1>should I say bird listeners, believe that a singing bird

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<v Speaker 1>must be a male bird. But it's not true, and

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<v Speaker 1>that misconception might mean we're missing out on a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of fascinating research, not just about birds, but how brains

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<v Speaker 1>in general handle communication. Traditionally, female songbirds have been overlooked

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<v Speaker 1>because more males of various species sing overall, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>been thought to be a behavior of males attracting females

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<v Speaker 1>and defending territory audibly marking a space as theirs. But

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<v Speaker 1>the ratio isn't overwhelmingly in favor of males, as it

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<v Speaker 1>turns out. For the article of this episode is based

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<v Speaker 1>on has to Work. Spoke by email with Lauren Benedict,

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<v Speaker 1>a University of Northern Colorado biology professor. She said, worldwide,

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<v Speaker 1>we think that females sing and about two thirds of

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<v Speaker 1>all songbird species. That's a pretty rough estimate though, because

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<v Speaker 1>for the majority of all birds species, we don't have

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<v Speaker 1>enough information to even determine whether females sing. In species

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<v Speaker 1>where males and females look alike, it can be hard

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<v Speaker 1>to know which sex is doing the singing of these

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<v Speaker 1>six hundred and sixty song bird species that feature female song.

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<v Speaker 1>As of eighteen, recordings had only been made for about

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<v Speaker 1>two hundred An additional three thousand, five hundred species have

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<v Speaker 1>yet to be studied to determine whether their ladies sing

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<v Speaker 1>or not. The male female study disparity may have initially

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<v Speaker 1>occurred because more research hours are devoted to birds in

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<v Speaker 1>temperate regions, where females are less likely to sing. How

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Works also spoke with Karen Odom, a behavioral ecologist.

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<v Speaker 1>She said this may be because male and female roles

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<v Speaker 1>are separated because of the short breeding season. Males show

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<v Speaker 1>up and sing to attract females and defend territories, whereas

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<v Speaker 1>females spend more time devoted to building and attending to

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<v Speaker 1>the nest. However, in the tropics we see a very

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<v Speaker 1>different pattern. Both males and females of many songbird species sing,

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<v Speaker 1>and they do this a large part of the year.

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<v Speaker 1>This is an important distinction because most bird species live

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<v Speaker 1>in the tropics. These tropical birds sometimes keep the same

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<v Speaker 1>mate in territory for years, so there are reasons for

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<v Speaker 1>singing may be different than those of their temperate relatives.

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<v Speaker 1>Odom said, based on what we do know, female birds

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<v Speaker 1>sing for reasons similar to males. In one species, females

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<v Speaker 1>are known to attract males with their songs, and in

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<v Speaker 1>other species, females appear to use songs to defend territories. However,

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<v Speaker 1>females may also sing for broader reasons, such as to

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<v Speaker 1>defend resources year round, possibly for herself or her offspring.

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<v Speaker 1>Compared to male bird song, we know very little about

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<v Speaker 1>female bird song, which is why more studies are needed.

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<v Speaker 1>A Benedict said, where sing out on a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>really interesting information about bird behavior and communication. The bird

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<v Speaker 1>song is a learned, complex signaling system that has many

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<v Speaker 1>parallels with human language, and so far we've answered fascinating

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<v Speaker 1>questions about how male brains helped them to communicate, but

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<v Speaker 1>I think the same questions should be asked about females.

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<v Speaker 1>A better understanding of female songbird habits could demystify how

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<v Speaker 1>behaviors evolve over time in relation to mating behavior and habitat.

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<v Speaker 1>Knowing the difference between male and female song can also

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<v Speaker 1>help with estimating bird population sizes, and that's critical for

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<v Speaker 1>the worldwide conservation effort. Benedict said, having good documentation of

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<v Speaker 1>female song will give us powerful tools for helping to

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<v Speaker 1>protect wild bird populations. If we can track male and

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<v Speaker 1>female behavior by listening to the songs of both sexes,

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<v Speaker 1>will learn a lot more than if we only listen

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<v Speaker 1>to males. Odom and Benedict published a sort of called arms,

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<v Speaker 1>or rather call to recording devices in a paper in

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<v Speaker 1>and since then, researchers and citizen scientists alike have taken

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<v Speaker 1>up that call no pun intended, and to learn more

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<v Speaker 1>and even participate in the effort, check out the website

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<v Speaker 1>female bird song dot org. Today's episode is based on

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<v Speaker 1>the article we Need to Know Why the Female bird

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<v Speaker 1>Sangs on house to works dot com, written by Leo Hoyt.

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<v Speaker 1>Green Stuff is production of I Heart Radio and partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with how stuff works. Dot Com is produced by Tyler

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<v Speaker 1>Playing and Ramsey Yeah. Before more podcasts my heart Radio,

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