HOW BIRDS LEARN TO TWITTER

In the first field study into how songbirds learn their repertoire, US researchers have found that listening to others interact is a key to song learning.

The researchers tagged 11 young male sparrows in Seattle’s Discovery Park and played them recordings of different numbers of birds.

The juvenile birds approached the sound of two song sparrows but largely ignored the solo singing.

Lead researcher Christopher Templeton said: “They seem to be learning how to sing and interact by eavesdropping on interactions. This way they can learn shared songs, which will be important for their future success.”