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A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds
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Songbirds can learn flexible contextual control over syllable sequencing.

Lena Veit1, Lucas Y Tian1, Christian J Monroy Hernandez1

  • 1Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.

Elife
|June 1, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Songbirds can learn to control their vocal sequences based on visual cues, similar to how humans control speech. This demonstrates flexible, learned sequencing abilities in birds.

Keywords:
Bengalese finchcognitive controlmotor sequencingneurosciencesongbirdsyntaxvocal communication

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior
  • Bioacoustics

Background:

  • Flexible sequential behavior is crucial for human speech.
  • Songbirds share vocal learning capacities and neural pathways with humans.
  • Previous research suggests songbirds may possess similar vocal control mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if songbirds can learn flexible, moment-by-moment control over their vocalizations.
  • To determine if songbirds can modify syllable sequences in response to external cues.
  • To explore parallels between songbird vocal sequencing and human speech control.

Main Methods:

  • Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica) were trained to associate visual cues with specific syllable sequences.
  • The probability of producing certain sequences was measured in response to cue changes.
  • Learned sequence modulation was assessed for persistence and immediate response to cues without reinforcement.

Main Results:

  • Bengalese finches demonstrated the ability to rapidly modify the probability of specific syllable sequences.
  • This modification was triggered by arbitrary visual cues, indicating learned contextual control.
  • The learned modulation of sequencing persisted without ongoing external reinforcement.

Conclusions:

  • Songbirds possess a learned contextual control over syllable sequencing.
  • This capacity parallels human cognitive control over speech sequencing.
  • Findings highlight convergent evolution of complex vocal control mechanisms.