Review TRENDS in Ecology and Evolution Vol.20 No.3 March 2005 Functional aspects of song learning in songbirds

Abstract

The oscine passerines, or ‘songbirds’, are one of the few animal taxa in which individuals learn their vocal signals. Recent comparative studies reveal a remarkable diversity of song-learning strategies in the songbirds. Here, we discuss recent studies that shed light on the possible functional basis of different song-learning programs. We argue that further insights into the evolution and ecology of song learning will require that comparative data and functional hypotheses be analyzed in a phylogenetic context, and we review recent studies that we feel might be the first steps in this process. Songs are complex species-specific signals given by animals of many taxa in mating and intrasexual contexts, most commonly by males to attract females and to repel rival males [1]. In most animal taxa, these species-specifi