Male birds typically sing the same tunes as the rest of their species because an unrecognisable song defeats the two primary reasons for their crooning — to establish and defend their territory and to attract mates. While the songs, which are passed down from generation to generation, may vary slightly by region, any new compositions are typically limited to the local environment.
However, for reasons unknown to scientists, white-throated sparrows across Canada are abandoning their classic song for a catchy new tune 'written' by their peers in British Columbia.
“As far as we know, it's unprecedented. We don't know of any other study that has ever seen this sort of spread through cultural evolution of a song type,” says biologist and study lead author Dr. Ken Otter from the University, Northern British Columbia (UNBC).
The new song was first brought to Otter's attention in the 1990s by Dr. Scott Ramsay, an associate Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. The two were bird watching outside UNBC's Prince George campus when Ramsay said, “Your sparrows sound weird.”
Upon listening carefully, the bird behaviour and communication expert realised Ramsay was right. “White-throated sparrows have this classic song that's supposed to sound like it goes, ‘Oh, sweet Canada, Canada, Canada,’ Otter wrote in an e-mail to Forbes. “And our birds sound like they're going, ‘Oh, sweet Cana– Cana– Cana– Canada.’