News Animals

Male birds’ sexy songs may not advertise their brains after all

A biologist rejects an idea he studied for years that quality birdsong is a sign of bird smarts

swamp sparrow

HITTING THE WRONG NOTE  Birdsong is sexy stuff, but a big test in swamp sparrows (one shown) and other experiments have driven one researcher to give up on some 20 years of his own theorizing about why.

Steve Arena/USFWS

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

After some 20 years of theorizing, a scientist is publicly renouncing the “beautiful hypothesis” that male birds’ sexy songs could indicate the quality of their brains.