Birds make sounds to communicate, whether to find a potential mate, ward off predators, or just sing for pleasure. But the conditions that contribute to the immense diversity of the sounds they make ...

When it comes to copying R2-D2, the best bet seems to be small birds with small brains .

Birds understand many sounds around them, from mates to alarms, and this hidden skill may hint at how human language first ...

When you think of birds imitating sounds, parrots and starlings might come to mind. They’re famous for copying human speech, ...

When you think of birds imitating sounds, parrots and starlings might come to mind. They're famous for copying human speech, ...

We all know that birds imitate sounds. If you weren’t aware of the many species that can do this, you’ll probably at least ...

Part 1. 'I don't do calls' -- Crossing the sound barrier -- Tone and timpre -- Pitch and frequency -- Rhythm and timing -- Part 2. Put it all together and what have you got? -- Simple calls -- Simple ...

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Matthew Medler of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology about the best bird sounds of 2025 from their vast collection of recordings, and why their selections made the list.