Cultural Evolution of White-Throated Sparrow Song / Curr. Biol., July 2, 2020 (Vol. 30, Issue 16)

Using songs of nearly 1,800 males recorded between 2000 and 2019, Otter et al. show the progressive adoption of one song variant (doublet-ending song) by males starting in western Canada and sweeping over 3,000 km eastward to replace the traditional triplet-ending songs.

Tracking migrating males using geolocators,

Otter et al. found that males from different dialect regions overwinter in the same areas; this suggests that males may learn novel songs from tutors on wintering grounds and spread these to new areas.