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Vocal Learning is for the Birds
Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explores the connections between birdsong and speech.
© Becky Matsubara
Humans and songbirds are among a small group of animals that can learn to imitate the sounds we hear. It’s an ability called vocal learning that makes language possible. Scientists who study human speech often start with birds that share our vocal learning skills, says neurobiologist Erich Jarvis. On Bring Birds Back, Erich discusses his research into the evolutionary origins — and unexpected benefits – of vocal learning for people and birds.
Listen to the full episode with Erich Jarvis in season 7 of Bring Birds Back!
BirdNote®
Vocal Learning is for the Birds
Written by Ariana Remmel
This is BirdNote.
[Northern Mockingbird]
This Northern Mockingbird may not have much in common with us humans, but we can both learn to make complex sounds: like that impressive song… or the words I’m saying right now.
Since this vocal learning skill is uncommon in the animal world, scientists who study human speech often start with birds that learn to sing, says neurobiologist Erich Jarvis. To investigate the evolutionary origins of vocal learning, his team looked for clues in DNA and brain structures of humans and birds.
Erich Jarvis: We found that parrots, songbirds, and hummingbirds, each independently evolved their vocal learning abilities, just like humans evolved it independently of those three bird groups. So in the last 65 million years, three bird groups came up with an independent solution to the vocal learning ability, but using the same genes.
These genes, and the brain regions where they’re active, are associated with the muscles in our voice boxes.
Erich Jarvis: What happened is that in order to control the vocal organ, you need a very tight integration between hearing, producing and imitating sound.
For humans — and some parrots — that tightly integrated vocal learning system comes with a bonus:
Erich Jarvis: The ability to learn how to dance to a beat of music. So that's the benefit of speech — the ability to dance.
[BirdNote ‘World Theme’ plays, with a groovy, danceable beat]
Learn more about the evolution of birdsong and speech when you listen to season 7 of Bring Birds Back. I’m Jazzi Johnson.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Northern Mockingbird ML166628 recorded by Robert Bethel.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2025 BirdNote November 2025
Narrator: Jazzi Johnson
ID# PodBBB-42-2025-11-05 PodBBB-42
Jazzi Johnson
Narrator
Ariana Remmel
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