The interplay of within-species perceptual predispositions and experience during song ontogeny in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

Vocal acquisition in songbirds and humans shows many similarities, one of which is that both involve a combination of experience and perceptual predispositions. Among languages some speech sounds are shared, while others are not. This could reflect a predisposition in young infants for learning some speech sounds over others, which combines with exposure-based learning.