LING 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 37: Tranche, African Grey Parrot
Bird Calls Are Genetic (Innate)
They are a rudimentary communication system that more bird species have, typically short
sounds. They tend to report properties about themselves
1. "I am taking off/ landing"
2. "I exist"
3. "I have food"
4. "I am dominant/ submissive"
They can still be very complex
• Ex: black-capped chickadee has a set of calls for inter-bird conflict composed of notes 4
notes: A, B, C, D
• Calls take on form of A*, B*, C*, or D*
o A number of A notes followed by a number of B notes, etc.
o Intensity
Bird songs are different than bird calls
• Tend to be longer, involve more notes, exhibit more complex patterns
• Function is related to territory making and male attraction
o Males tend to be singers, both female and males tend to be listeners
• Have complex representations
o Two parts
o Specific notes being played
o Pattern of the notes
o Artificial songs that cross the two properties
• There is much variability among bird sounds. Some species have several songs in their
repertoire
• Some bird songs are learned and have a critical period
o For most birds, the songs they sings is genetically specified
o However, they can learn variability: some birds demonstrate regional dialect, or
small variations in songs they learn from neighbors
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