A bad performance is better than no performance at all

Canaries that hear poor songs as juveniles nevertheless sing rather normal songs as adults

		IMAGE: Young male canaries sing normally, despite having heard poor songs as juveniles from role models. Click here for more information.

The learning of birdsong resembles the learning of speech in humans. Crucial for the process are acoustic perception and the ability to produce sound. Social isolation leads to a disturbed vocal development both in humans and in birds. When children grow up without contact to other humans they either develop no or a rudimentary form of human language.