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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Petra Stock

Regent honeyeaters have ditched their typical tune for a shorter, simpler song. Why?

This 2015 photo provided by Lachlan Hall shows male regent honeyeater birds in Capertee Valley in New South Wales, Australia
Australian National University researchers have tracked and classified the calls of wild regent honeyeaters and their success at pairing and nesting. Photograph: Lachlan L Hall/AP

New generations of regent honeyeaters are singing a shorter song, replacing the bird’s typical tune which can no longer be heard in the Blue Mountains.

Since 2020, a rapid shift in song culture has accompanied a significant decline in the critically endangered bird’s population, according to research in Royal Society Open Science.

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