Study links bird's brain cells to singing

The research found that the male birds start practising sounds while young and their brains become matured in a different way than the female one. On the other hand, the brains of female birds are developed in such a way that they can judge the quality of songs of the male ones before choosing their mates.

Prof Timothy DeVooged, who has been studying the singing in songbirds and the brain regions responsible for learning, remembering and expressing song, revealed the findings at a presentation at the zoology department of University of Dhaka yesterday.

"In baby birds' brains, song production areas are the same in both males and females. However, brain cells in these areas die in young females, thereby creating a difference with males. These cells remain in male birds throughout their lives," said Timothy.

When a young bird is one or two months old, it hears the songs of its father and other adult birds and memorises many of the sounds, he said.

If baby male birds are raised by females and never hear or learn a song, neurons in a major song production area only grow about 80 percent of their normal quota of synapses.

Timothy and his team have studied many birds, including tiger finch and black-capped chickadees.

Prof Timothy said the level of male hormone goes up in adult male birds in the spring, causing neurons in the song production areas to grow more synapses, but these are lost when the breeding season is over.

Adult female birds of many species can compare the songs of different males and finally chooses its mate whose song is very attractive, he said.

As females keep choosing males on the basis of quality of songs, the males gradually sing better and better songs, which not only thrill the female birds but also enthral the people, said the professor.

Presided over by Prof Latifa Gulshan Ara, the lecture session was also attended by Prof Anawar Hossain and Prof Kazi Zaker Hossain.