US Researchers Replicate Complex Bird Songs With a Simple Rubber Device

Find out how this discovery could impact wildlife science. A recent BBC article we came across via tweeter @thepineproject discusses the somewhat accidental discovery of bird songs that can be replicated by rubber. According to the team of US researchers, they have developed a simple rubber device that replicates complex bird songs:

• The song is produced by blowing air through the device, which mimics a bird's vocal tract.
•  The findings appear to challenge the idea that birds had to learn complicated neurological controls in order to produce distinctive calls.
• The team plans to share its data with biologists to see if it sheds new light on how birds produce complex songs.

To see the device and listen to vireo and finch songs replicated by the device, read more...