Tiny New Zealand bird delivers a lesson in birdsong evolution
Parrots, songbirds, and hummingbirds can learn to make new sounds. No-one knew, but New Zealand’s smallest bird, the rifleman or titipounamu, may have a rudimentary version of the same talent. University of Auckland research into the bird is part of a rethinking of how and when vocal learning evolved in birds. Scientists traditionally assumed birds … Read more
