Computer-made 1960s sparrow song copied by Buenos Aires bird; AI and tutors weighed for lost songs

Mixed · 2Researchers in a Buenos Aires park created a computer-generated version of a rufous-collared sparrow song that local birds had sung in the 1960s but that had since disappeared from the area. 1 2 Mixed · 2Less than three months later, a local bird began to copy parts of the song. 1 2 Left · 1The song was rebuilt from hand-drawn annotations of sparrow songs made in the 1960s. Gabriel Mindlin, a physics professor at the University of Buenos Aires who co-authored the study, said it is still sung by a few individuals close to where it was introduced, though only time will tell how long it lasts. 1

Left · 1It is not clear why the song vanished, though Mindlin notes the park's bird population had declined. 1 Mixed · 2Songbirds learn songs from fathers and neighbours, so local dialects form. When populations fall, fledglings have fewer models and may sing abnormally or learn other species' songs, which can hurt their chances of finding a mate. 1 2 Mixed · 2Researchers hope synthetic recordings could help teach songs to other species with dwindling populations, letting conservationists tutor birds where no real recordings exist. The rufous-collared sparrow is not considered vulnerable globally. 1 2

Mixed · 2Live tutoring has worked in other cases. In Australia, zoo-bred regent honeyeaters, a critically endangered species with a wild population of about 250, learned wild songs after interacting with two wild-born male tutors, and trained males went on to tutor the next generation. The Times of India, citing research in Scientific Reports, says 42% of zoo-population males were singing the traditional song after three breeding seasons, against none of the young birds in the first year. 1 2 Left · 1Sarah Collins of the University of Plymouth studied cirl buntings translocated from Devon to Cornwall. They first sang squeaky, slow, less varied songs, but their songs had returned to normal eight years later. She says recovery is possible but it is unclear whether other species would match it, and she recommends a tutor for translocated birds. 1 Left · 1Playback alone may not be enough: Collins says some birds do not learn well from recordings and need interaction. The Guardian notes that bringing wild birds into captivity as tutors could cause distress and disease, and suggests AI might provide live tutoring in future. 1

Centre · 1The Times of India points out that the Buenos Aires experiment used a computer-generated recording rather than a fully interactive AI system. It calls the result an early and limited success, not a proven technique, and says more research is needed on whether recreated calls spread, stay stable and improve breeding. 2 Mixed · 2Dialect matters too. Rebecca Lewis of Chester Zoo says birds with mismatched songs pair more slowly and do less well, and familiarising birds with their destination's songs can help. 1 2