Research shows birdsong is becoming less intricate amid population decrease

RESEARCHERS from Spain and Hawaii have conducted a joint study which has revealed that birds are not making such complex sounds as they did in the past as populations decline.

The study was focused on Hawaii and centered around the Honeycreeper Bird which is endemic to the Pacific Island. The results were published in the Royal Society Open Science journal and proved particularly interesting to twitchers the world over as they try to repopulate areas deserted by certain species due to climate change, amongst other environmental factors.

Previous studies have shown that the Honeycreeper population is dwindling in Hawaii and this has caused less rigid mating rituals within them. Adding to that, when there are less birds in an environment there are fewer songs to imitate and therefore less diverse birdsong.

Most birds can have 10 full complex songs in their repertoire but when there are fewer birds to imitate, this number falls.