A sparrow song remix took over North America with astonishing speed

A variation on the white-throated sparrow’s song spread 3,300 kilometers in just a few decades

white-throated sparrow sitting on a branch

The white-throated sparrow traditionally sings a song with a three-note ending, but across North America, these birds have recently adopted a version ending with a repeated pattern of two notes.

Scott M. Ramsay

Some North American birds are changing their tune.