The Great Kiskadee: Understanding the Secrets of Birds’ Sleep and Melodies – New Study Reveals Surprising Findings!

JAKARTA – The wonder of birds singing while they sleep has been of interest to researchers for a long time. Now they have made new progress in understanding the birds’ sleep and translating its peaceful melody.

In research conducted at the University of Buenos Aires, it was discovered that there is a brain region that is responsible for the singing of birds during sleep. These areas have similar patterns when the birds are awake and singing.

Scientists have long known that this brain pattern causes subtle muscle movements in the vocal tract of sleeping birds. This is due to the “song of silence”.

While the birds slept, the part of the brain responsible for singing during the day remained active and showed patterns similar to those seen when they were awake. Researchers have previously shown that this brain pattern activates vocal muscles in birds, allowing them to quietly “play back” songs while they sleep.

However, until now it has not been possible to map out how to handle these nocturnal activities. In a new study, researchers translated vocal muscle movements of birds while dreaming into synthetic songs. “Dreams are one of the most intimate and elusive parts of our lives,” said expert on the physical mechanisms behind birdsong and author of the study, Gabriel Mindlin, reported by New Atlas, Wednesday (17/4 /2024).

“It’s amazing to know that we share something with a species so far away, and to get into the mind of a dreaming bird and hear what those dreams are like. The opportunity to be heard is an incredible temptation.”

Bird sounds are produced by special organs found only in birds. Located at the bottom of the trachea, air flowing through it causes some or all of the walls of the organ to vibrate, and the surrounding air sacs act as a recovery chamber. The level of sound produced depends on the tone of the muscles around the narcissus and the airways.

The researchers chose the yellow bird from Brazil, the Great Kiskadee, for the study because it is the species used in previous research. This noisy and aggressive bird, found throughout Central and South America, is known for its triple-lipped call. In fact, the name comes from the nickname “kiss-ka-dee.” Kiskadees emit a distinctive chirp when defending their territory.