Application:
• The role of inheritance and learning in the development of birdsong
The development of birdsongs in fledglings is an example of an action that involves both innate and learned behaviours
- Birds will use songs as a means of communication – either signalling courtship or establishing territorial boundaries
Most birds are born with a crude template song that is genetically inherited (innate behaviour)
- The possession of an innate template prevents birds from adopting the songs of a different species of bird
Whilst young, fledglings learn to expand and refine their song by listening to, and mimicking, the adult version (motor learning)
- Birds raised in isolation will lack the necessary song complexity that develops through social interaction
The time taken to develop a birdsong differs between species and songs, but once established, the final song is rarely altered
Stages in the Development of Birdsong
