Karan Odom's Paper in Nature Communications

"Female Song Shows Darwin Slightly Off-Key"

Female song is widespread and ancestral in songbirds

Songbirds such as the Superb Fairywren (pictured; photograph by Lindley McKay) learn complex songs, but singing is considered to be a predominantly male trait. Odom et al. conduct an extensive survey to show that female song is, in fact, widespread in songbirds, and that females in the common ancestor of modern songbirds already showed such behaviour.


Posted: March 4, 2014, 1:47 PM