Contrary to the popular belief, made famous by evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin, that only male songbirds sing, female birds can be as musical as males of the same species. This is the conclusion of UMBC’s Karan Odom, a biological studies PhD student, and Kevin Omland, professor of biological sciences, from their intensive study of songbirds in Maryland and Puerto Rico. Their research on the subject, originally published in Nature Communications, is highlighted in a new article in National Wildlife Federation magazine.
The current research includes four oriole bird species. Odom and Omland studied the Baltimore oriole and orchard oriole in Maryland, and Odom and students from UMBC and the University of Puerto Rico studied the Venezuelan troupial and the Puerto Rican oriole in Puerto Rico.
The scientists identified differences between the northern birds and their southern counterparts, including in the frequency of male and female song. In Maryland, female orioles are dull in color and usually do not sing. This contrasts with males of the species, who are brightly colored and have vibrant song, which the researchers attribute to males needing to hurry through attracting mates, securing territory, reproducing and migrating south before the fall.
In Puerto Rico, the females orioles are brightly colored, like males, and often sing duets with the males. Odom points out that in the Tropics, most female songbirds sing just as long and loud as males, and similarities in the sounds and appearance of male and female birds can make it difficult for scientists to distinguish them by sex.
Read the full article, “Busting a Birdsong Myth,” in National Wildlife Federation magazine. See also extensive previous news coverage of Odom and Omland’s research.
Image: Karan Odom holding a troupial. Photo by Kevin Omland.
