What a Bird Brain

Male starling standing on grass, notice it's yellow beak which indicates testosterone!

This is a male Starling- notice its yellow beak. There is testosterone in its system, and it must be singing more!

When a bird sings, an area of their brain called the HVC(High Vocal Center) actually increases in volume.

It has been shown that male starlings that sing more have larger HVC. Also, since more singing occurs in the spring to attract a mate, the HVC is actually larger in the spring than in the fall.

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Consider what happens to your muscles when you exercise more or less. How might this compare and contrast from using the brain?

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Can you think of times that human behavior changes during the year? How do you think that might impact the brain structure?

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Did you know that you can tell how much testosterone a male starling has by looking at how yellow its beak is? More yellow means more testosterone!

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