01990nas a2200193 4500008004100000245006400041210006200105520138800167653001301555653001901568653001401587653002401601653001101625100002301636700002501659700002201684700002401706856006601730 2020 eng d00aSound sequences in birdsong: how much do birds really care?0 aSound sequences in birdsong how much do birds really care3 a

The complex and melodic nature of many birds' songs has raised interest in potential parallels between avian vocal sequences and human speech. The similarities between birdsong and speech in production and learning are well established, but surprisingly little is known about how birds perceive song sequences. One popular laboratory songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), has recently attracted attention as an avian model for human speech, in part because the male learns to produce the individual elements in its song motif in a fixed sequence. But psychoacoustic evidence shows that adult zebra finches are relatively insensitive to the sequential features of song syllables. Instead, zebra finches and other birds seem to be exquisitely sensitive to the acoustic details of individual syllables to a degree that is beyond human hearing capacity. Based on these findings, we present a finite-state model of zebra finch perception of song syllable sequences and discuss the rich informational capacity of their vocal system. Furthermore, we highlight the abilities of budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), a parrot species, to hear sequential features better than zebra finches and suggest that neurophysiological investigations comparing these species could prove fruitful for uncovering neural mechanisms for auditory sequence perception in human speech.

10abirdsong10afine structure10aphonology10asequence perception10asyntax1 aFishbein, Adam, R.1 aIdsardi, William, J.1 aBall, Gregory, F.1 aDooling, Robert, J. uhttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2019.004401868nas a2200193 4500008004100000245005700041210005700098520130100155653001701456653001401473653002501487653002101512100002101533700002001554700001701574700002201591700002001613856004101633 2019 eng d00aStatistical parametric synthesis of budgerigar songs0 aStatistical parametric synthesis of budgerigar songs3 a

In this paper we present the synthesis of budgerigar songs with Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and the HMM-based Speech Synthesis System (HTS). Budgerigars can produce complex and diverse sounds that are difficult to categorize. We adapted tech- niques that are commonly used in the area of speech synthe- sis so that we can use them for the synthesis of budgerigar songs. To segment the recordings, the songs are broken down into phrases, which are sounds separated by silence. Complex phrases furthermore can be subdivided into smaller units and then be clustered to identify recurring elements. These ele- ment categories along with additional contextual information are used together to enhance the training and synthesis. Over- all, the aim of the process is to offer an interface that gener- ates new sequences and compositions of bird songs based on user input, consisting of the desired song structure and contex- tual information. Finally, an objective evaluation comparing the synthesized output to the natural recording is performed, and a subjective evaluation with human listeners shows that they pre- fer resynthesized over natural recordings and that they perceive no significant differences in terms of naturalness between natu- ral, resynthesized, and synthesized versions.

10abioacoustics10abird song10aHMM- based synthesis10aspeech synthesis1 aGutscher, Lorenz1 aPucher, Michael1 aLozo, Carina1 aHoeschele, Marisa1 aMann, Daniel, C uhttps://bio.acousti.ca/it/node/5758402075nas a2200193 4500008004100000022001400041245008800055210006900143260001600212520145000228653002501678653001201703653001101715653002001726653001901746100002001765700001801785856007801803 2018 eng d a1674-550700aEffects of metronomic sounds on a self-paced tapping task in budgerigars and humans0 aEffects of metronomic sounds on a selfpaced tapping task in budg cNov-10-20183 a

The origin of rhythmic synchronisation or entrainment to a musical beat in animals have been widely discussed. Parrots are suitable animals to examine the relationship between the capability of vocal learning and spontaneous rhythmic synchronisation. In this study, budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) learned to tap (peck) two keys alternately at a self-paced rate. Then, the metronomic sounds were played in the background during test sessions while the birds were performing the key pecking task, although they were not required to synchronise tap timing with the metronome. We found modest but significant effects of the metronome rhythms on the tap timing in some subjects. We also tested humans (Homo sapiens) using almost the same method. In contrast to the birds, a number of human subjects synchronised tap timing to the onset of the metronome without verbal or documented instructions. However, we failed to find an effect of the metronome on self-paced tap timing in some human subjects, although they were capable of rhythmic synchronisation. This is the first report describing the effects of metronomic sounds on self-paced tapping in non-human vocal learners. This study introduces a new method that can be used in future research comparing birds that differ in vocal learning capacities, social structure, age, sex, hormonal status, and so on as part of examinations of the evolutionary foundations of beat processing.

10aoperant conditioning10aparrots10arhythm10asynchronisation10avocal learning1 aSeki, Yoshimasa1 aTomyta, Kenta uhttps://academic.oup.com/cz/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cz/zoy075/5126939