While this complexity may at times appear bewildering, the different chapters do an excellent job in enticing the reader to think further about these topics - for example, when discussing the links between the singing and the anatomical features required to sing. In this context, but also throughout the book, the authors (and editors) draw up a complex picture of the neurological, physiological, anatomical, cognitive, ecological and evolutionary factors influencing birdsong. It also serves as a useful reminder of the role that species choice can play in comparative biology. Precisely because of such differences, the magpie (and other, especially tropical songbird species in which both sexes sing equally) may be a much better organism in which to investigate links between birdsong and human language. In many other respects, the Australian magpie's singing differs further from that of previously closely studied model songbird species. It is therefore largely independent of mating or breeding behaviour, and, encouragingly, the auditory systems of males and females appear to be indistinguishable. In one of my personal highlight chapters, however, Gisela Kaplan shows that in many bird species - her particular focus is on the Australian magpie - birdsong is common to both sexes. Furthermore, use of language is not limited to human males. Unlike human language, however, patterns of birdsong in the important model species show seasonality, waxing and waning with the mating and breeding periods.
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