FINCHforum

I have a singing gouldian who is making completely different noises from any other gouldian I have ever had. His song has lilts and trills and whistles. He is in a flight cage with his brothers, all 4 months old, and a green singing finch, who sings off and on all day long. None of the other goulds sing like him. Is it possible he has learned his song from the green singer?

Absolutely!

ann

I am not really all that surprised.
I have a Canary male who was housed with Societies, and was imitating their songs, or trying to. Since being seperated however, he has returned to his original song (thank God).

Different species will listen very intently to other species singing. I have noticed this, and do believe that they are attempting to learn the different sounds, at times quite successfully, as in your case.

~Elana~

This is also the reason to move the young as soon as you can if they are fostered by a different species. They will learn that species song and not the gouldians.

AW MAN. Now I wish i got my gouldians sooner, then maybe my baby Zebra boys would have a pretty Gouldian song!!! Oh well, luckily the Zebra honks, beeps and attempts at "song" don't bother me... they actually quite soothing to me, unless it's 11 at night and I'm trying to go to bed, and they JUST AREN"T getting the picture, that it's bed time!!!! lol

Yes, it's likely he learned the song from the Green Singer. I have a male spice finch who learned his song from his idol - a male society finch - and mastered it identically. I also have a society who was fostered by Java Rice Finches and created his own song out of Java contact calls arranged in a society melody, and my young male canary incorporates bits and pieces of both canary and society melodies into his own song. I find birds kept in mixed flocks tend to mix up and learn each other's noises quite often, especially if young are born into the situation.

Oh how cool!

Yes, indeed, they definitely learn from each other, including other species!

I'm actually surprised I haven't seen more of this in my own guys, as we have a few different species who intermingle.

@lnlovesorange --- I so love zebra beeps and honks. So precious.
When I moved to Florida, I had to drive the ark van with all the animals. I had the zebra finch cage between the two front seats and they were bopping around and singing the entire time. It was bizarre, as it was a sound I associated with home, but it was with me on the road. It took 2 days of driving to get to Florida and they were just non-stop! It was delightful.

Yes this is possible.

MiaCarter Me too...about the Zebra beeps and honks. I can understand how someone would NOT like it, but It literally puts me to sleep!! Even my mom last night was saying, "oh my if i slept in here, they would put me right out!" It's soothing to me. And I totally understand what you mean about their sounds being "home"... The babies right now are ALWAYS beeping, meeping, honking, calling to their parents, and of course trying to sing!!! So my room sounds like a .... i dont' know what!!! haha, but like you I love it, and It's soothing to me. I grew up in a very LOUD (Irish Catholic) busy household, so I NEED background noise... and to me they are the perfect background noise. The only problem I'm having with them now is I can't hear the very quiet gouldians over the baby Zebs!!! lol