It s generally accepted now that young birds learn their songs from other members of the species, and that genetics give, at most, only a blank template to the process.
Young birds hear their parents, other adults, and even territorial rivals.
Today, when I hear the extraordinarily beautiful and complex songs of the Wood Thrush or Western Meadowlark, I listen with the knowledge that these sounds serve critical purposes in the avian world. They attract a mate. They establish territory. They communicate other things we haven t figured out yet. But, all that understanding aside, I also listen because these sounds are nothing short of an aural feast.