What we can learn about ourselves by listening to birdsong

By Bernd Brunner
Updated December 20 2017 - 9:53am, first published 4:10pm

Birdsong is complex. Despite a great deal of research, much remains a mystery, including whether "song" is even the right term to categorise the sounds birds make. Humans are quick - perhaps too quick - to judge the characteristic qualities of birdsong solely according to its aesthetic appeal.