Given that both sexes of most parrots learn new vocalizations throughout life and produce
them in diverse social contexts, whereas few songbird species combine all these traits, why …

Cognition and communication both can be essential for effectively navigating the social
environment and thus, social dynamics could select for enhanced abilities for …

Parrots are often referenced in discussions of social and cognitive complexity, yet relatively
little is known of their social organization in the wild. In particular, the presence of long …

Vocal dialects have fascinated biologists for over 50 years. This mosaic pattern of
geographic variation in learned vocalisations was first described in a songbird, and since …

In many species, individuals benefit from social associations, but they must balance these
benefits with the costs of competition for resources. Understanding how these competing …

Parrots of the Wild explores recent scientific discoveries and what they reveal about the lives
of wild parrots, which are among the most intelligent and rarest of birds. Catherine A. Toft …

Highlights•Learning of social calls is more common among birds and mammals than song
learning.•Unlike song learning, call learning is not well explained by sexual selection.•We …

Despite longstanding interest in the evolutionary origins and maintenance of vocal learning,
we know relatively little about how social dynamics influence vocal learning processes in …

Disruptions in speech, language, and vocal communication are hallmarks of several
neuropsychiatric disorders, most notably autism spectrum disorders. Historically, the use of …

Social communication often involves vocal learning, whereby young animals learn their
vocalizations early in life by imitating the sounds of adults. In animals that learn their …