Finches use same rulebook as human babies to pick up language, study finds

An international team, including Hebrew University's Prof. Inbal Arnon, has found that Bengalese finches learn their songs using the same statistical rules and Zipfian distributions as human language acquisition. Following similar findings in humpback whales last year, the researchers analyzed recordings from six young finches and detected the same underlying structures, suggesting universal mathematical principles emerge through convergent evolution.

An international team of researchers, including Hebrew University cognitive scientist Prof. Inbal Arnon, has found that Bengalese finches learn their songs using the same statistical rulebook as human babies acquiring language. The team applied mathematical tools used to decode human speech learning to recordings of six Bengalese finches between 60 and 120 days old, the critical development window for song acquisition. They detected the same underlying structures, including Zipf's law, which governs word frequency and length. This follows similar findings in humpback whale songs published last year. The researchers caution that language use differs between species: whale songs convey identity and location, while finch songs are used solely for mating. The paper states the findings illustrate that core mathematical patterns of language do not require semantics, and that universal principles emerge naturally through convergent evolution when complex signals are passed down through generations.