On the slopes of the Antisana volcano in Ecuador, the song of the plain-tailed wren can be heard rattling through the bamboo: sharp, shrill rounds of notes, like the quick rhythmic roll of feet in a tap-dance number.
What might sound like one bird鈥檚 song is in fact a duet, and based on recent research, it may be one of nature鈥檚 most impressive.
The research, , reveals that the wren鈥檚 song is not some pre-programmed pattern that the birds mindlessly produce but instead a fine example cooperative creation. The birds listen to each other and understand the song as a whole, based on the interaction of two voices.
Researchers studied more than 1500 hours of these songs, both duets and solos. They found that when these birds sing alone, the wren sang only his or her own portion of the duet and waited silently during the duration that would be their partner鈥檚 part before resuming. In musical parlance: they didn鈥檛 sing on the rests. There are plenty of human conductors who would love to have such meticulous musicians.
Also of interest: when a male stumbled mid-song, the female would cue him back in. These birds literally know the full score and adjust their song to their partner鈥檚 performance.
For a great sound byte, check out or you can listen to the study鈥檚 lead author discuss these songs in this .