Songbirds may need to practise singing every day to maintain the quality of their performance. Male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) learn a unique song, usually from their father, in the first ...

Some birds—including blue jays—are strong vocal learners that can mimic other birds and make lots of different sounds. Jocelyn Anderson via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 3.0 Birds can make an ...

For example, short-lived songbird species who can’t rely on their parents to show them the way may instead rely on social ties with others to make the trek.

After three weeks they had atrophied to look similar to those of juveniles’ vocal organ. In birds that were kept in the dark, the syrinx lost 50 percent of its strength within a week.

Examples among insectivorous warblers include pine, palm, yellow-throated, and yellow-rumped warblers (see photos). These songbirds are an occasional treat to hear and see in my yard in Pennsylvania.

For example, a bird with 255 red, 204 green, and 255 blue would appear pale pink. Chaffinches, common in Britain and Ireland, have pink chests. Bachkova Natalia/Shutterstock ...