In higher animals, the brain is like a Lamborghini — amazing engineering, but expensive to run. In a human, the brain uses about 10 times more energy than other organs. A bird's system is exquisitely attuned to this expense. Several species, including Black-capped Chickadees, have adapted in a clever way. You can usually hear these chickadees calling throughout fall and winter. But they aren’t singing much, because they don’t need to. In their brains, the centers that control how they learn and give voice to songs shrink. But as the birds resume singing during spring, the control centers in the brain rejuvenate.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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