A remarkable discovery shows that birds across four continents use nearly identical “whining” alarm calls to warn others about parasitic birds near their nests. This finding, published October 3 in Nature Ecology & Evolution, marks the first known example of an animal vocalization that combines both innate responses and learned behavior shared across multiple species. An international research team led by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Doñana Biological Station in Spain found that 21 bird species separated by approximately 53 million years of evolution produce a similar warning sound when they spot parasitic birds like cuckoos that lay eggs in … Continue reading Birds Share Universal ‘Whining’ Alarm Call Against Nest Parasites Across 53 Million Years of Evolution