Scientists find 8 basic ‘building blocks’ behind all birdsong

Paris: Scientists in France say all birdsong in the world is made up of just 8 fundamental sound types, or “motifs”. A team from the University of Saint-Etienne analysed 116,000 songs from 3,000 bird species using AI. They found every song is a combination of 3 types of trill, 3 types of whistle, chaotic notes, and harmonies.

The study showed that a bird’s environment shapes its song. Birds in tropical forests use simpler whistles to cut through dense noise, while birds in temperate forests use more complex trills to communicate at closer range.

Lead researcher Quentin Bacquelé said the discovery links birdsong directly to habitat. He added the research could help understand how birds adapt to human-made noise and why conserving natural soundscapes matters.