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TED-Ed

The surprising reason birds sing - Partha P. Mitra

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TEDEd Animation

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A brown thrasher knows a thousand songs. A wood thrush can sing two pitches at once. A mockingbird can match the sounds around it — including car alarms. These are just a few of the 4,000 species of songbirds. How do these birds learn songs? How do they know to mimic the songs of their own species? Are they born knowing how to sing? Partha P. Mitra illuminates the beautiful world of birdsong.

Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.


About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

Educator
Partha Mitra
Director
Lisa LaBracio
Script Editor
Eleanor Nelsen
Character Designer
Tara Sunil Thomas
Animator
Lisa LaBracio
Sound Designer
Weston Fonger
Associate Producer
Elizabeth Cox
Content Producer
Gerta Xhelo
Editorial Producer
Alex Rosenthal
Narrator
Addison Anderson

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