By: Andy Flick, Evolutionary Studies Initiative scientific coordinator<\/p>\n
Growing up in a small community has its advantages, but if you want to learn from world experts, you may have better luck in a big city. This is the case in the world of birds as well. Large populations of birds might be better able to maintain complex songs than small populations \u2013 all because of access to high-quality tutors.<\/p>\n
Two researchers associated with the\u00a0Evolutionary Studies Initiative<\/a>, postdoctoral researcher Emily Hudson and assistant professor of Biological Sciences\u00a0Nicole Creanza<\/a>, published their findings in the journal\u00a0Evolution<\/i>.<\/p>\n According to Hudson, \u201cwe hypothesized that a simple song can be maintained in a population of any size, whereas a complex song might only be maintained in a large population.\u201d<\/p>\n Birds in large populations may have access to better tutors than those in small populations. Therefore, we would expect songs in smaller populations to have less complexity. This use of tutors mirrors how humans learn to make and use tools. The mathematical model that Hudson and Creanza built is based on the longstanding hypothesis that larger populations of humans might make more technological advances.<\/p>\n According to Creanza, \u201cit is tempting to draw parallels between bird\u2019s songs and human music or language. However, a bird\u2019s song is more than just beautiful music.\u201d<\/p>\n Hudson continued, \u201ca young bird often learns his songs from someone other than his father, particularly if his father sings a poor song. This is more like how humans learn to make tools \u2013 by finding someone who is good at making something and trying to copy them \u2013 than how humans learn language.\u201d<\/p>\n