Skip to main content

The surprising reason birds sing - Partha P. Mitra

658,679 Views

9,232 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

A brown thrasher knows a thousand songs. A wood thrush can sing two pitches at once. A mockingbird can match the sounds around it — including car alarms. These are just a few of the 4,000 species of songbirds. How do these birds learn songs? How do they know to mimic the songs of their own species? Are they born knowing how to sing? Partha P. Mitra illuminates the beautiful world of birdsong.

Why do you think a zebra finch learns better from a loudspeaker hidden in a toy painted like a zebra finch, rather than a loudspeaker all on its own?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Partha Mitra
  • Director Lisa LaBracio
  • Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
  • Character Designer Tara Sunil Thomas
  • Animator Lisa LaBracio
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Associate Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

More from Awesome Nature