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Article published In:
Animal-Computer Interfaces: Novel Approaches for Studying Animal Behavior, Cognition and Communication
Edited by Irene M. Pepperberg
[Interaction Studies 24:2] 2023
► pp. 289–310

Technological advances for getting insight into the learning capacities of birds in the vocal domain

ORCID logo | University Paris Nanterre | University Paris Lumières
| University Paris Nanterre | University Paris Lumières
| University Paris Nanterre | University Paris Lumières | Institut Universitaire de France | University Jean Jaures

Birds produce different types of sounds in different contexts such as begging for food in youngsters, alerting to a danger, defending a territory or attracting a sexual partner. About half of the bird species are able to transform their vocalizations through imitation, improvisation or invention of sounds. Here we review the different experimental procedures that have been used to study the learning capacities of birds in the vocal domain and in the auditory domain, with a particular emphasis on recent technological developments. Nowadays, it is possible to record individual vocalizations of birds living in social groups or to record continuously the vocal ontogeny of birdsong. In conditioning experiments, new paradigms have successfully replaced food rewards with a socio-sexual reward. It is possible to engage in vocal interactions with a bird using dedicated computer systems. In both the laboratory and more recently in the field, different techniques have been used to train young oscine songbirds to learn from acoustic models. The use of virtual social environments and robots as social agents are also promising avenues. All together, these new techniques will permit researchers to explore more deeply the umwelt of bird species.

Keywords: learning capacities, birds, technology, vocal interaction
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Continuous vocal recording and analysis: From a single individual to group members
  • 3.Controlled vocal interactions
  • 4.Enhancing song tutoring
    • 4.1Song playback
    • 4.2Influence of visual stimuli
    • 4.3Playback of vocal interactions
    • 4.4Towards an integrative approach to study the influence of multimodality: Use of robots
  • 5.Conditioning experiments
  • 6.Future directions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Literature cited
Published online: 3 November 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/is.22043.der
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