It’s tough being the new bird on the block.
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Migration is sometimes necessary for survival. But animals with social structures might need to re-learn how to be….social!
Enter the Cirl Bunting: a brown sparrow-sized bird. They’ve been studied in captivity and released up to sixty miles away!
Sarah Collins and Plymouth University investigated how this affected their SONGS. They compared different populations.
Results?
Initially, descendants of the released birds sang a reduced variety of songs. And, their syllables were abnormal. BUT, eight years later, they sang as many songs as any other population! Only one abnormal syllable remained.
Researchers believe the Cirl Buntings learn songs from each other! This means they can relocate endangered bird populations without worry.
And with any luck, they’ll be birds of a feather!
Reference: Collins, S. A., Croft, S., Jeffs, C., Brown, S., & de, R. (2023). Recovery of cirl bunting, Emberiza cirlus, song diversity after translocation. Conservation Science and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13060