Zebra finches try to imitate the song of an adult zebra finch and later use it to court females (on the left). (Image: Richard Hahnloser, ETH/UZH)
Zebra finches try to imitate the song of an adult zebra finch and later use it to court females (on the left). (Image: Richard Hahnloser, ETH/UZH) - Complex learning processes like speaking or singing follow similar patterns. Using the example of zebra finches, researchers at UZH and ETH Zurich have investigated how young birds imitate the courtship songs of their fathers and practice them thousands of times. The study has revealed what aspects of the song are remembered overnight, and that sleep allows the bird to optimally build upon the progress made on the previous day. The ability to learn new motor skills is critical to almost all aspects of our lives. From the time a baby is born, it learns to move its arms and hands, to pronounce words and to walk. Such skills are often learned through practice, over the course of many thousands of repetitions.
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