Song learning in captive European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris

Abstract

The song of captive Euroepan starlings was recorded in successive years to see if changes occurred in song repertoire size and average song bout length. Seven out of nine males sang new song types in their second year of recording. Three males, which were yearlings when recorded for the first time, increased their average song bout length significantly while the average song bout length of six older males did not increase. The three yearling males also increased their repertoire size significantly more than the six older males. Nevertheless, four of the six older males modified their repertoire. These results indicate that starlings are ‘open-ended’ learners, but also suggest that the ability to incorporate new song types into the song decreases with age. Choices of song models by four male starlings raised in captivity were also investigated. All four males copied a large proportion of their song from adult males with whom they shared the aviary. The captive-hatched males often copied precise sequences of different song types from the adult males. Direct evidence that starlings copy heterospecific imitations from other, starlings is also presented.