The calls of birds are often what ornithologists first identify before they even see the species out in the wild, however that might be changing with regards to some species. Researchers who were studying the yellow-naped amazon, a type of parrot indigenous to the Pacific coast, recently noticed their accents were changing.
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00:00The calls of birds are often what ornithologists first identify before they even see the species
00:08out in the wild.
00:09However, that might be changing with regards to some species.
00:13Researchers who were studying the yellow-naped amazon, a type of parrot indigenous to the
00:16Pacific coast, recently noticed their accents were changing.
00:20Birds having regional dialects is nothing new, but dialectical changes are now occurring
00:24within the species in unprecedented ways.
00:27The researchers first noticed the calls of the southern-dwelling yellow-naped amazon
00:30in northern regions, finding that not only were some of the birds using southern calls,
00:35but they were also bilingual, using the northern ones as well.
00:38Experts theorize this is an adaptation, allowing the parrots to communicate and call birds
00:42of both dialects for increased mating opportunities.
00:45And those same scientists say that it's an adaptation which could save the species.
00:49In just the last three generations of these birds, they have seen a 92% drop in their
00:54populations in Central and South America, with the researchers saying that the species'
00:58new bilingualism could actually aid in conservation efforts, explaining in their report that ultimately,
01:04monitoring cultural behavior such as the rate of change in dialects can help wildlife managers
01:09understand anthropogenic impacts, population dynamics, and conserve species.