- WHY IT MATTERS: Michale Fee, a neuroscientist in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, says young songbirds babble before they can mimic an adult's song, much like their human counterparts.
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Simon Fraser University Researchers studied zebra finches.
New research shows that birds babbling involves its own specialized brain circuitry, separate from that used for adult singing. This finding underscores the importance of the exploratory behaviors -- such as infant stepping, hand motions, vocalizations and play -- that help young animals learn how to use their bodies and make sense of the world.
Source:
Audio excerpt from the weekly Science journal podcast.
