New Bird Song That ‘Went Viral’ Across Species of Sparrow Tracked by Scientists For First Time

[Michie]

A song that ‘went viral’ across a species of bird has been tracked by scientists for the first time.

Most of our feathered friends are slow to change their tune—preferring to stick with tried-and-tested songs to defend territories and attract females.

Now a 20-year study has found how one rare ‘tweet’ travelled nearly 2,000 miles across Canada and the US.


The analysis—based on recordings collected by bird watchers from 2000 to 2019—found that the new beat wiped out a historic song ending in the process. White-throated sparrows from British Columbia to central Ontario have ditched their traditional three-note-finish in favor of a unique two-note-variant.

Popular music often goes viral among people, especially when it evokes an emotional response, but the reason the new sound became so compelling among the striking sparrows remains a mystery.

Continued below.
New Bird Song That ‘Went Viral’ Across Species of Sparrow Tracked by Scientists For First Time

 

[Hank77]

@Michie
May I post a video that is not about this bird but is really cute?

 

[Michie]

@Michie
May I post a video that is not about this bird but is really cute?

Lol! Sure. You do not need my permission!

 

[Hank77]

Well, it's your OP and I didn't want to interfere. You and others may have seen this before but my grandson just showed it to me the other day.

 

[Michie]

Well, it's your OP and I didn't want to interfere. You and others may have seen this before but my grandson just showed it to me the other day.

So cute. Where is he sleeping???

 

[Hank77]

So cute. Where is he sleeping???

Here's the description on YouTube
A female Amethyst-throated Sunangel (Heliangelus amethysticollis) sleeps in Peru. READ THE WHOLE DESCRIPTION BELOW BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS. EDIT: Alright, Thank you Reddit for blowing this up. Lets clear a few things up here. The bird is in a container that is attached to machines that measure how much oxygen the bird is consuming. The noise you are hearing is the hum of the machines in the background (the main one being the FoxBox... http://www.sablesys.com/products-prod...). The noise is actually a lot more quiet than it seems, for whatever reason my camera picked it up and made it sound a lot louder. This experiment was performed with the guidance and supervision of some of the top experts in tropical ornithology. The investigation was fully permitted and performed in a world renowned research facility. This bird was not harmed whatsoever, it was fed with sugar water throughout the experiment and was released safely. All of the hummingbirds measured like this consumed a very low amount of oxygen at a very stable level as compared to other, larger birds, which suggests that they were in torpor, or a state close to torpor. After the experiment was done, I watched the bird fly away myself, it was fine. And yes, I know it may not actually be snoring. Even the supervisors of the project are unsure why it is making that noise. I have asked them to look into it since this video has received so much attention. I have been studying ornithology for years and am currently a Masters student studying birds. The welfare of birds means the world to me, and I am dedicating my career to their conservation. EDIT #2 (2-Mar-2012): It's likely that this bird is in the early stages of arousal from deep torpor after disturbance. The gaping of the bill might be a way to breath deeply and bring in plenty of oxygen. When they are disturbed in torpor, they try to warm up as quickly as possible and that involves intense shivering. But initially, they are too cold for high-speed muscle action so it's hard to see the shivering movements. The high pitched squeaking sound it is making is likely a cute side-effect of the gaping for oxygen.

 

[mourningdove~]

Well, it's your OP and I didn't want to interfere. You and others may have seen this before but my grandson just showed it to me the other day.

 

[Michie]

Here's the description on YouTube
A female Amethyst-throated Sunangel (Heliangelus amethysticollis) sleeps in Peru. READ THE WHOLE DESCRIPTION BELOW BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS. EDIT: Alright, Thank you Reddit for blowing this up. Lets clear a few things up here. The bird is in a container that is attached to machines that measure how much oxygen the bird is consuming. The noise you are hearing is the hum of the machines in the background (the main one being the FoxBox... http://www.sablesys.com/products-prod...). The noise is actually a lot more quiet than it seems, for whatever reason my camera picked it up and made it sound a lot louder. This experiment was performed with the guidance and supervision of some of the top experts in tropical ornithology. The investigation was fully permitted and performed in a world renowned research facility. This bird was not harmed whatsoever, it was fed with sugar water throughout the experiment and was released safely. All of the hummingbirds measured like this consumed a very low amount of oxygen at a very stable level as compared to other, larger birds, which suggests that they were in torpor, or a state close to torpor. After the experiment was done, I watched the bird fly away myself, it was fine. And yes, I know it may not actually be snoring. Even the supervisors of the project are unsure why it is making that noise. I have asked them to look into it since this video has received so much attention. I have been studying ornithology for years and am currently a Masters student studying birds. The welfare of birds means the world to me, and I am dedicating my career to their conservation. EDIT #2 (2-Mar-2012): It's likely that this bird is in the early stages of arousal from deep torpor after disturbance. The gaping of the bill might be a way to breath deeply and bring in plenty of oxygen. When they are disturbed in torpor, they try to warm up as quickly as possible and that involves intense shivering. But initially, they are too cold for high-speed muscle action so it's hard to see the shivering movements. The high pitched squeaking sound it is making is likely a cute side-effect of the gaping for oxygen.

Thanks! I have 5 hummingbird feeders here in the woods where I live and have constant action around the house. I think they are fascinating!

 

[Brightmoon]

Ever since NYC decided to plant lots of trees to help with global warming I see a lot of species of birds that Id never seen before. I’m sad that I don’t see the cardinals and blue jays anymore. We don’t have vacant lots anymore. People don’t have backyards because they want to build apartments

 

[Radagast]

A song that ‘went viral’ across a species of bird has been tracked by scientists for the first time.

Most of our feathered friends are slow to change their tune—preferring to stick with tried-and-tested songs to defend territories and attract females.

Now a 20-year study has found how one rare ‘tweet’ travelled nearly 2,000 miles across Canada and the US.

The actual paper is here: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(20)30771-5.pdf

The music is here:

 

[Michie]

The actual paper is here: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(20)30771-5.pdf

The music is here:

Thanks Radagast.

 

[Michie]

Ever since NYC decided to plant lots of trees to help with global warming I see a lot of species of birds that Id never seen before. I’m sad that I don’t see the cardinals and blue jays anymore. We don’t have vacant lots anymore. People don’t have backyards because they want to build apartments

In my area we see Cardinals and Blue Jays all year round.

 

[Brightmoon]

That’s interesting. A small behavioral change like that can drive evolution

 

[Brightmoon]

In my area we see Cardinals and Blue Jays all year round.

I see them and brants in mount Vernon which is just 5 blocks past the #5 el in the Bronx . They’ve got more open ground. I’ve seen starlings mourning doves, grackles and black and white wrens . Birds I never saw as a child

 

[Radagast]

That’s interesting. A small behavioral change like that can drive evolution

Well, it's not really evolution -- not genetic evolution, anyway.

It's a cultural shift (as the paper points out).

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

A song that ‘went viral’ across a species of bird has been tracked by scientists for the first time.

Most of our feathered friends are slow to change their tune—preferring to stick with tried-and-tested songs to defend territories and attract females.

Now a 20-year study has found how one rare ‘tweet’ travelled nearly 2,000 miles across Canada and the US.


The analysis—based on recordings collected by bird watchers from 2000 to 2019—found that the new beat wiped out a historic song ending in the process. White-throated sparrows from British Columbia to central Ontario have ditched their traditional three-note-finish in favor of a unique two-note-variant.

Popular music often goes viral among people, especially when it evokes an emotional response, but the reason the new sound became so compelling among the striking sparrows remains a mystery.

Continued below.
New Bird Song That ‘Went Viral’ Across Species of Sparrow Tracked by Scientists For First Time

Sparrow culture!

 

[bekkilyn]

We have Northern Mockingbirds in my area as well as sparrows and other songbirds. Maybe they'll preserve the old sparrow songs in their vast repertoire. These lovelies can even do car alarms and even cats when it pleases them.

 

[Michie]

We have an owl that lives close to my house that mimics my cats and dogs as well. it’s really funny.