Hermit thrush birds sing in 'harmonic series' like humans

Zee Media Bureau/Shruti Saxena

New Delhi: If you believe singing is the unique human trait, think again! A new study suggests that birds not just make sounds similar to human speech, but also croon like we do.

Researchers have discovered that the hermit thrush, a North American songbird species, sings in a harmonic series that resembles like human compositions.

The study also reveals that around 70% of the songs produced by the hermit thrush are based on mathematical ratios.

Scientists are now interested to find out as to why does the male hermit thrush sings harmonically. They believe that it might be that they want to attract mates.

The study can pave way to find out if human music is influenced by biological and cultural factors.

The research was published in the journal PNAS.