A little bird told her: scientist wins $100,000 prize for decoding birdsong

Dr. Julie Elie works at a university in California. She studies how birds talk. She won a big prize. The prize is worth $100,000. She studies zebra finches. These are small birds. She listens to their sounds. She wants to understand what the sounds mean.

Dr. Elie spent ten years watching the birds. She recorded their calls every day. She wrote down when each bird made each sound. She found 11 different calls. Each call has a different meaning. The birds use sounds to say who they are. They also use sounds to say what they are doing.

Dr. Elie used a computer to study the sounds. The computer looked for patterns. She found something interesting. The birds sometimes mix up calls that mean similar things. This means the birds understand what their calls mean. Dr. Elie hopes her work helps people talk to animals one day.

Sources: theguardian.com