Songbirds rehearse their melodies by singing in their sleep, a new study has found.

Scientists believe the birds dream of singing to help them hone a range of different tunes. The new finding emerged from a study of the electrical brain activity of zebra finches.

A team from the University of Chicago found that sleeping birds fired their neurons in complex patterns similar to those produced when the birds were awake and singing.

Young birds learn to sing by listening to adults and then practise by listening to their own attempts. The research suggests the songbirds store a song after hearing it, then rehearse it later in their sleep.

Sweet dreams

Professor Daniel Margoliash, who led the study, said: "From our data, we suspect the songbird dreams of singing.



The beautiful songs of birds could have much to teach us about how we learn

Professor Daniel Margoliash