Overview
- Male nightingales synchronize pitch and syllable length with competitors in real time during song duels.
- When answering complex songs, the birds flexibly prioritize either pitch or syllable length, effectively making rapid compromises.
- The peer-reviewed study was conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Leipzig and IST Austria in Klosterneuburg.
- The vocal flexibility is used in contests over territories and females, signaling an ability to match and outperform rivals.
- Researchers note that only a few animals besides humans show such immediate auditory–motor responses, with dolphins and parrots cited as examples.