A songbird, or oscine, is a bird of Passeri, a major branch of Passeriformes. The name denotes evolutionary membership, rather than a judgment about whether a particular call is melodious. The chaffinch is one familiar example. Relationships among these birds are studied using DNA and phylogenetic trees, alongside their anatomy and behavior.[ref]
Earth history and the passerine superradiation. Introduction, the three main passerine lineages and oscines
Songbirds provide particularly clear experiments on learning. In W. H. Thorpe's chaffinch experiments, birds raised without normal song exposure developed simpler songs, whereas birds with early experience could retain much more normal patterns. An apparatus called the Song Tutor replayed constructed sequences of notes, letting the investigator change what a juvenile heard rather than merely observe wild adults. Some artificial patterns were learned, provided their sound characteristics were sufficiently appropriate.[ref]
The learning of song patterns by birds, with especial reference to the song of the chaffinch Fringilla coelebs by W. H. Thorpe. Summary, isolation experiments and Song Tutor, items 5–7 and 10
The comparison separates three questions: what vocal patterns a bird can physically produce, what experience supplies, and when that experience is effective. A sensitive period means that the timing of exposure matters. These results establish a role for experience in the tested species; they do not imply that every songbird learns the same repertoire at the same age.
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