Rare regent honeyeaters get ‘music lessons’ to save their love song

In a unique conservation effort, scientists in Australia are teaching Critically-Endangered regent honeyeaters their traditional love song. With fewer than 300 of these birds left in the wild, young males are mimicking other birds’ calls, risking their mating tradition’s survival.

The regent honeyeater’s song is crucial for finding mates, but solitary males are forgetting it. To address this, Australian National University scientists set up ‘music lessons’ for captive males, playing the “Blue Mountains Typical” song and bringing in wild males to teach them.

“They’re learning the song, and it’s working,” said Joy Tripovich, ANU behavioral ecologist. The goal is to release these birds back into the wild, equipped with the right song to find mates and revive their population.