The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a small perching bird that is known for its ability to mimic human speech and other sounds. Starlings are accomplished mimics and have been observed imitating car alarms, phone rings, squeaking doors, and even human voices. This vocal mimicry ability has fascinated people for centuries and has led to starlings being kept as pets so people can teach them to “talk”. In the wild, starlings likely use mimicry as a social bonding behavior and as a way to compete for mates. Their skill at imitating sounds is quite impressive for a bird with a relatively simple vocal anatomy. In this article, we will explore the European starling’s ability to mimic human voices, how they develop this skill, and why vocal mimicry is important to starlings.
Starling Vocal Anatomy
European starlings belong to the family Sturnidae, which includes other “mimids” known for vocal mimicry such as the Northern Mockingbird. The starling has a syrinx at the base of its trachea that contains sound-producing membranes. By controlling airflow and tension on these membranes, starlings can produce a wide variety of sounds beyond their innate vocalizations. Their vocal range includes frequencies from 1.8 to 8.4 kHz, which overlaps human hearing and speech ranges. This allows them to accurately imitate components of human voices like pitch, tone, accents, and even some words or short phrases. However, their simple syrinx limits some sounds they can mimic compared to parrots and mynah birds. The starling brain also contains nuclei associated with vocal learning and production. All these anatomical features enable skilled vocal mimicry in starlings.
Development of Vocal Mimicry
Starlings typically start attempting vocal mimicry within two months after hatching from the egg. Young birds initially babble and experiment with sounds similarly to human infants. Over time through practice, they improve their mimicry accuracy. Both genetic and learned factors influence a starling’s skill. Some birds innately pick up mimicking sounds better than others. But practice through exposure to sounds also improves their abilities. In the wild, they mimic other bird species but also environmental sounds like car alarms. Captive starlings reared in close human contact frequently start mimicking human speech at a young age. If continually exposed to talking humans, their speech mimicry becomes quite convincing. However, most captive starlings just mimic their human caretakers talking, not comprehend human language. Their ability to mimic is largely independent of understanding meaning. But a few starlings have shown an ability to mimic in context and may have some grasp of meaning.
Reasons for Vocal Mimicry
Scientists debate exactly why starlings and other mimids evolved vocal mimicry skills. Several possible reasons likely all contribute to some degree:
Social bonding
Mimicking sounds together helps starlings form social bonds and recognize flock members. Families may develop unique mimic “dialects.” Mimicking each other’s songs during courtship also facilitates pair bonds. So vocal mimicry helps with essential social relations.
Competing for mates
Male starlings incorporate learned sounds into their songs to impress females during breeding season. Novel or complex mimicry is thought to help attract mates by demonstrating learning abilities. So mimicry gives an advantage in sexual selection.
Predator deterrence
Unusual sounds can startle or confuse predators. Starlings combine mimicked alarm calls of other species into warning and distraction calls that may aid survival.
Environmental adaptation
Mimicking new sounds allows starlings to vocally adapt to changing environments as they colonize new areas. This flexibility likely aids the starling’s ability to thrive in diverse habitats.
Examples of Speech Mimicry
Many first-hand accounts describe the European starling’s incredible ability to mimic human speech and songs. Here are some interesting reported examples:
Talking starlings as pets
When kept as pets, starlings will readily mimic household sounds and human speech. The earliest known talking starling, Peters Starling, mimicked words, short phrases and even laughter taught by its owner in the late 18th century. More recently, The New York Times told the story of Buddy the starling who lived with an American family and learned English words and expressions by listening to NPR radio with them.
Operatic starlings
Opera soprano Amelita Galli-Curci had a starling pet she named Mimi that perfectly mimicked her singing voice. When Galli-Curci performed, Mimi would join in with intricate trills and phrases. The starling even fooled some audience members into thinking it was Galli-Curci herself singing offstage.
Wild starlings
Even wild starlings adeptly pick up human sounds. Residents of Somerset, England reported gangs of starlings learning to mimic a local dog’s bark perfectly. Cursing construction workers on a London building site were startled when starlings started repeating their blue language from the roof. And an Australian magpie once joined a starling in a duet – the starling mimicking a soprano and the magpie “singing” in a rich contralto voice.
Comprehension vs mimicry
While starlings can impressively mimic human words and singing, only a few rare individuals demonstrate actual comprehension of meaning. In the 1970s, biologist Irene Pepperberg taught a starling named Alex over 100 English words, which he could use correctly and in context. Alex proved starlings have the capacity for basic comprehension, but most only mimic sounds without understanding.
Conclusion
In summary, vocal mimicry is an important social and survival skill for the European starling. Its talent at imitating human voices results from specialized vocal anatomy adapted for mimicry, combined with an inherent neural aptitude, young learning ability, and plenty of exposure to human speech. Starlings mainly mimic for complex social bonding, attracting mates, deterring predators and adapting to the environment. Their mimicry ability can extend to amazingly accurate renditions of human singing and talking. While European starlings do not usually comprehend meaning, their vocal skills remain an impressive feat of nature and a source of delight for bird enthusiasts. The starling’s mimicry of human voices provides a fascinating window into the evolution and capabilities of animal intelligence and communication.