Daily Singing Exercises Crucial for Songbird Vocal Performance, Study Finds

Research shows vocal muscles weaken rapidly without regular use, impacting song attractiveness and potentially explaining the daily dawn chorus.

Male songbirds require daily singing exercises to maintain the strength and performance of their vocal muscles, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
Without daily practice, the birds' vocal abilities quickly decline, with their vocal muscles becoming five times weaker after just two days.
Female zebra finches showed a strong preference for the songs of males who had undergone regular vocal exercise, with 75% favoring songs from well-exercised males.
The findings suggest a new reason for the daily dawn chorus observed in birds, as the regular singing may be necessary for maintaining vocal muscle strength and song attractiveness.
The research could have implications for human vocal training and speech therapy, as the vocal muscles in songbirds responded differently to exercise compared to limb muscles.