Waking up to the dawn chorus of birds – one of the natural world’s greatest symphonies – is a joy like no other. It is not surprising that bird-watching has become an increasingly popular hobby. A ...

Over a decade ago, behavioral ecologist Diane Colombelli-Négrel was wiring superb fairy wrens’ nests to record the birds’ sounds when she noticed something odd. Mother fairy wrens sang while ...

For decades, scientists have known that only a few groups of birds—songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds—can learn to produce new sounds. But a new article in The Quarterly Review of Biology reveals ...

Just like babies in utero who get accustomed to their parents' voices from inside the womb, baby birds hear and absorb their parents' chirping and singing commands while waiting to hatch from eggs, ...

In our quest to find what makes humans unique, we often compare ourselves with our closest relatives: the great apes. But when it comes to understanding the quintessential human capacity for language, ...

Each week a new group of birds passes through the yard as they wing their way north. Some stay to nest, while others continue their journey. So far, I’ve welcomed killdeer, woodcock, phoebes, field ...

This story is part of our summer Book Club conversation about Jennifer Ackerman’s book ‘The Genius of Birds.’ Want to participate? Sign up for our newsletter or send us your thoughts on the SciFri ...

June 12 -- — Babies learn to speak the same way that some birds learn how to sing. Infants don't learn to speak just by imitating the sounds of older humans in their midst, according to new research.

Honeyguide birds in northern Mozambique learn local human “dialects,” adapting to village-specific calls to guide honey-hunters to wild bees’ nests.

Ready to learn about bird-watching for beginners? Grab binoculars and a field guide, connect with other birders, then go see more species.