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City Slicker Birds Shun Their Country Cousins

According to scientists, city Great Tits prefer other city Great Tits over country Great Tits. (Lets act like adults). The researchers found that the city dwellers responded more strongly to songs of fellow city dwellers and the same held true for the bumpkins. The average minimum pitch of male Great Tit songs in noisy urban areas was higher than in quieter, rural areas just a few miles away. Dr Rupert Marshall, of Aberystwyth University, Wales, and his team recorded bird song in 20 different cities in Britain. He says, "People speak louder and higher in noisy places like pubs and bars but still recognise their friends' voices once they go outside. Great tits seem to learn the high notes from their neighbours but don't respond as strongly to lower rural tones even when it's quiet."

95 comments

  1. Better Idea by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    According to scientists, city Great Tits prefer other city Great Tits over country Great Tits. (Lets act like adults)

    Yeah, we could do that. Or we could plug what you just said into Google translator and translate it from English to Hindi to Estonian back to English again:

    According to researchers, large cities and large country breast breast-feeding a baby, like other big cities do. As adults (Act I)

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:Better Idea by Red+Flayer · · Score: 1, Redundant
      I prefer the Babelfish English --> Trad. Chinese --> Simp. Chinese --> English version:

      According to the scientist, the urban great tit likes in the national great tit's other urban great tit. (lets likely adult's motion)

      Particularly the parenthetical bit at the end... sounds dirty to me.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    2. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      I ran the gamut using Google translator starting from English cycling translations alphabetically from Albanian all the way through to Vietnamese (but skipping Chinese), then finally back to English:

      According to scientists, city Great Tits prefer other city Great Tits over country Great Tits.

      becomes

      Large and powerful countries and cities, as well as research on breast cancer.

    3. Re:Better Idea by Rei · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I prefer to round-trip them until they stabilize ;) Greek has fun with capitalization. Japanese goes off on a tangent about milk. Korean has a funny second cycle. The hebrew translation gets really excited.

      --
      Shiny New Australia.
    4. Re:Better Idea by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      Someone was watching Spiks and Speks last night ;-)

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    5. Re:Better Idea by Saija · · Score: 1

      OMG!
      you really did that crazy translation in google!
      how do i know it? hmmm....

      --
      Slashdot ya no es que lo era! ;)
    6. Re:Better Idea by selven · · Score: 1

      http://tashian.com/multibabel/ is a good site too. It turned this:

      Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.

      Into this:

      Configurations of Humpty Dumpty to the pagination in the wall. Great rectangle of the passages of Humpty Dumpty. This king' whole; Malese and whole S that king' Team of the employees couldn' of S; Period of Humpty of the collection of T in which it is according to place.

    7. Re:Better Idea by R.Mo_Robert · · Score: 1

      I know you're trying to be funny, but there is actually no point in "translating" from Traditional Chinese to Simplified Chinese in your process; they are not different languages, only different scripts (both usually represent Standard Mandarin or occasionally other varieties). Babelfish will likely just convert the simplified characters that are different from their traditional counterparts back to traditional, so you might as well just pick one. :)

      --
      R.Mo
    8. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For anyone wondering if it's worth following Rei's link and entering the suggested translations, it definitely is. Especially the Korean second cycle.

      I'm still chuckling, in addition to translating random email. Japanese is particularly productive!

      This is, FRB rate cuts! I have to pay your mortgage!

    9. Re:Better Idea by inode_buddha · · Score: 1

      Dude. I just cut-n-pasted that into txt, just in case. It has some strong potential to become a slash meme, *and* it shows up as a FP. Frankly, I'm amazed. To top it all off, it requires some brain-power to arrive at any number of graphics. Well done!

      --
      C|N>K
    10. Re:Better Idea by Rei · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Five points if anyone can tell me what song lyric, round-tripped between English and Japanese, yields this:

      "(13) Design, pony, well, it is the best way to learn to kill me?"

      Here's a hint: other famous lyrics by the same artist (different songs) end up as:

      (6) In this case, you must eat something in the brain? We can not be forced to - I can not, in the first place.
      (5) TERODAKUTIRUMANDERUBURO Rorschach, a set of light occurs.
      (13) May ROGUINMANEJAHOWAITOAPPU this page is to create a country code monkey.
      (10) Unfortunately, I think I have a weapon. We are working to improve.

      (that latter one has some funny intermediaries, such as "(4) Unfortunately, I do and I have a weapon. It tries to do good.")

      Oh, here's something really weird: try round-tripping between English and Japanese "our robot". For some reason, it thinks that "our robot" in Japanese is "Google" (Google no ROBOTO -- "Google's robots"). Bizarre.

      --
      Shiny New Australia.
  2. City tits are perkier than country tits by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great tits from the city are higher and perkier than tits from the country. The country tits are lower, and the city tits don't give them the time of day.

    It's not really any wonder, though. Everyone prefers perky tits.

    1. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by Brigadier · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      how the hell does this get modded informative ? funny as hell .. but informative ?

    2. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by clang_jangle · · Score: 4, Informative

      No way -- even though I'm in my 40s now, guys tell me I have great tits all the time -- and I'm a country girl! My country tits are *quite* perky.

      --
      Caveat Utilitor
    3. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by ciaohound · · Score: 5, Funny

      *quite* perky

      Your slashdot name suggests otherwise.

      --
      Oh, yeah, it's not easy to pad these out to 120 characters.
    4. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by Leafheart · · Score: 5, Funny

      No way -- even though I'm in my 40s now, guys tell me I have great tits all the time -- and I'm a country girl! My country tits are *quite* perky.

      Pics or it didn't happen

      --
      --- "When you gotta do something wrong. You gotta do it right. (Fighter)"
    5. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by Bobfrankly1 · · Score: 1

      *quite* perky

      Your slashdot name suggests otherwise.

      damn, and me without modpoints!

    6. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      Great tits from the city are higher and perkier than tits from the country. The country tits are lower, and the city tits don't give them the time of day.

      Maybe the country Tits have Great Balls?

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    7. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by Locke2005 · · Score: 0, Redundant

      There is only one way to resolve this: where's the link to the pics?

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    8. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by Hooya · · Score: 1

      seeing how they are so picky; if there are a few that are not so well endowed in the city, would they belong to the "itty bitty city titties committee" ?

      and, during the study, did the researchers ever use the line "I'm studying tits, honey!" - now I can legitimately use that line every night if the wife catches me *studying* online.

    9. Re:City tits are perkier than country tits by Max+Littlemore · · Score: 1

      I have cola in my nose.

      First time I have laughed out loud at this site for yonks.

      --
      I don't therefore I'm not.
  3. Slight problem... by delta419 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...no one on here knows anything about Great Tits.

    1. Re:Slight problem... by xs650 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wrong. I've seen pictures of them

    2. Re:Slight problem... by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      Have you ever SEEN CowboyNeal?

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    3. Re:Slight problem... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Oh, I know everything about them. I see them on those websites all the time!

    4. Re:Slight problem... by Red+Flayer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Have you ever SEEN CowboyNeal?

      I think we may be confused over what he meant by 'great'.

      I think he meant great as in 'awesome', not great as in 'fucking huge'.

      But I could be wrong.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    5. Re:Slight problem... by sumdumass · · Score: 3, Funny

      Are you sure those weren't Pictures of Cartman's ass?

      I hear it looks like a set of hot boobs that aren't easily distinguished from real ones.

    6. Re:Slight problem... by OrangeMonkey11 · · Score: 1

      You might be correct but what you consider Great Tits might not be what I would consider Great Tits. to each his own

  4. The study isn't sufficient. by jd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They would need to examine the reaction of different populations from the countryside to see if the reaction is simply one of disputes between avian clans. As it stands, their data could mean too many different things. The adage, often repeated here, is that correlation is not causation.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    1. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by DeadPixels · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, this study just went tits-up.

    2. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Informative

      They would need to examine the reaction of different populations from the countryside to see if the reaction is simply one of disputes between avian clans. As it stands, their data could mean too many different things. The adage, often repeated here, is that correlation is not causation.

      As your knowledge of bird behavior stands, yes, it could mean just about anything. When you know nothing else but that correlation exists, then this in fact does not indicate causation. However when someone possess knowledge of other factors that suggest causation, then correlation can in fact support the causation conclusion.

      In this case, a "dispute between avian clans" can easily be ruled out. You see, when a breeding male tit hears the call of another male tit nearby, that male will sing its own song to proclaim its territory, or investigate the source of the call in order to drive the intruder out. If the male country tit recognized the call of the male city tit, but didn't like city tits, then it would have responded more aggressively in trying to drive out the intruder. The lack of a response means that the country tit did not consider the city tit to be a threat, making the most likely explanation that the country tit didn't recognize the city tit's song as being that of a Great Tit at all.

      There is as they say more research to be done. The next step is to see how females from each group respond to the calls of the other group. This is going to be trickier. While a male will react to any male that enters its territory and thus threatens its chances to mate, a female may or may not respond to the call of a male for any number of reasons. However if city tit females routinely reject the calls of country tit males and vice versa, then the question of whether the female recognizes the male call but just doesn't like it vs doesn't see them as the same species becomes largely moot. If the females aren't attracted to the other males, they won't breed, and they will slowly begin to separate as species.

      On the other hand, if females don't appear significantly less attracted to the other males, then well I'm not really sure what would happen since I'm not terribly well versed in Great Tit behavior. It might mean more females breeding with multiple males on the edge of cities since the city/country males wouldn't compete with each other. It might mean that a bird born from mixed parentage would learn both songs, possibly eliminating the difference.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    3. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by jd · · Score: 1

      The parent post needs to get modded up. It is probably one of the most informative posts I've seen on Slashdot in a long time and is extremely well-written. Worthy of an article in itself.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    4. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by Harinezumi · · Score: 1

      I believe further study of Great Tits is necessary. I would gladly volunteer my time and effort to conducting a most thorough survey of Great Tits in many diverse geographical locations, but I seem to be having trouble securing funding.

    5. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by OS2toMAC · · Score: 1

      See what happens when someone acts like an adult. We learn stuff. Man, I hate to learn stuff.

    6. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      iow, the city ones are hard of hearing, made so by loud city noises.

      In order to compensate, they themselves got louder to hear themselves or sang louder to gain the effect hey want, so the (also deaf due to the environment) females could hear them.

      This warped their song. The country folks don't understand or recognize it.

      In any case, the study is a long way of showing why this is happening, whether learned, genetic, or disability.

    7. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Funny

      See what happens when someone acts like an adult. We learn stuff. Man, I hate to learn stuff.

      On the plus side I did get to say "tit" like fifty times.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    8. Re:The study isn't sufficient. by OS2toMAC · · Score: 1

      Just mentioning the possibility of it being a disability means there are going to be a lot of lawyers for the loud Great Tit special interest group clamoring for special perching rights (closer to the park) at the next City meeting.

  5. Is that really a surprise? by Rei · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They're undergoing divergent evolution. It's not like we haven't seen this before. Pigeons are rock doves that have adapted to urban life instead of their traditional cliff-dwelling habitat.

    --
    Shiny New Australia.
    1. Re:Is that really a surprise? by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      Is it necessarily evolution? Or is it simply training? I bet if I took a bird egg from the country and swapped it with one from the city, that the birds would identify with their adoptive culture.

      (And another thanks to Slashdot for the five minute wait between posts).

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    2. Re:Is that really a surprise? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What do you bet? It's a pretty testable theory so you oughta make it something worthwhile if you're confident.

      Let's say... your testicles.

    3. Re:Is that really a surprise? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 3, Informative

      Is it necessarily evolution? Or is it simply training? I bet if I took a bird egg from the country and swapped it with one from the city, that the birds would identify with their adoptive culture.

      Either way the result will be evolution. Even if the different call is learned behavior (which they theorize is the case), if the females from one group won't respond to the calls of the other (which they haven't tested yet) then they won't interbreed and barring substantial egg-swapping efforts by humans they are effectively different species on their own evolutionary paths.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    4. Re:Is that really a surprise? by JordanL · · Score: 2, Informative

      This just theoretically reduces the alleles available to given sample... it isn't genetic evolution, which I think is the point being made.

      And it's a fairly valid point. There is a big difference between differentiation and evolution, and the blurred line between them by many "science buffs" is why they're scoffed at by ID proponents.

    5. Re:Is that really a surprise? by tverbeek · · Score: 1

      It may just be a case of the phenomenon observed over and over in humans: that girls tend to fall for guys who remind them of their father, and boys tend to fall for gals who remind them of their mother. It's provincialism.

      --
      http://alternatives.rzero.com/
    6. Re:Is that really a surprise? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Informative

      This just theoretically reduces the alleles available to given sample... it isn't genetic evolution, which I think is the point being made.

      Change in allele distribution is evolution. And once there are two separate breeding populations, any further mutations or allele frequency changes will not be transferred to the other group, and thus clearly it is only a matter of time until they are different enough that anyone can see that genetic evolution has taken place.

      And it's a fairly valid point. There is a big difference between differentiation and evolution, and the blurred line between them by many "science buffs" is why they're scoffed at by ID proponents.

      The line is blurry, and the inability of ID proponents to comprehend this, and most other things they ignorantly scoff at, is why they are scoffed at by biologists.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    7. Re:Is that really a surprise? by bigbird · · Score: 1

      Divergent evolution? Nah. The city birds are just going deaf with all the noise.

  6. Adaptation - Evolution by Afforess · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is obviously a prime example of an adaptation creating a new and distinct species. In a few years, the city birds will no longer interbreed with their rural counterparts, and the inbreeding will cause them to mutate and adapt differently. In 100 years the two groups will be in two very distinct species, with one having the upper hand in our modern climate. I'm sure this is already beginning to happen to other species, but its just because of birds shorter gestation period and lifespan that it is appearing first. Just wait, in several hundred more years, humanity will have reshaped all of the species on this planet, for good or ill.

    --
    If our elected representatives no longer represent us, do we still live in a Democracy?
    1. Re:Adaptation - Evolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you are, of course, assuming we haven't done so already?

    2. Re:Adaptation - Evolution by maxume · · Score: 1

      Yeah, because up until now, we hadn't done a damn thing.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    3. Re:Adaptation - Evolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since Great Tits don't migrate, that might even cause one subspecies each to evolve in every contiguous urban area. According to Wikipedia, the "Great Tits from the two south Asian groups of races do not recognize the calls of the temperate Great Tits, and they may be a separate species."

  7. Forget the article by EkriirkE · · Score: 0

    ...I'm here for the funnies.

    --
    from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
  8. The obvious problem with this study... by No-Cool-Nickname · · Score: 0

    is that we are looking at the preference of city Great Tits for city Great Tits over country Great Tits.

    Men are not so picky. We do not care if the Great Tits are from the country or city.

    "There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours." - Wesley, Princess Bride.

    1. Re:The obvious problem with this study... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Westley

    2. Re:The obvious problem with this study... by Mattcelt · · Score: 1
  9. So going to get modded down, but I have to. by hbean · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nothing beats waking up in the morning, looking out your window and seeing a pair of great tits.

    --
    "Give someone a program, frustrate them for a day... Teach someone to program, frustrate them for a lifetime."
    1. Re:So going to get modded down, but I have to. by EkriirkE · · Score: 3, Funny

      One of them is likely to be a cock, though

      --
      from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
      to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
    2. Re:So going to get modded down, but I have to. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Um, I'm gonna have to disagree there. Seeing them on the same side of the window definitely is better.

    3. Re:So going to get modded down, but I have to. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I guess when all of your choices are Great Tits you can become a bit picky.

    4. Re:So going to get modded down, but I have to. by DinDaddy · · Score: 1

      Nothing beats waking up in the morning, looking out your window and seeing a pair of great tits reflected in the window standing behind you.

      T,FTFY

  10. Hearing problems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe they're just going deaf in the city noise

  11. Not a valid study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To me ALL tits are great.... ;-)

  12. Act like adult? On slashdot? by digitalgiblet · · Score: 3, Funny

    98% of slashdot readers applied for the job of "watching Great Tits" without reading the article (this IS slashdot).

    You would think they would be disappointed on their first day of work, but the fact that they were issued binoculars let to great job satisfaction.

    1. Re:Act like adult? On slashdot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use binoculars to get satisfaction at home. Why not get paid to do it?

  13. i myself prefer boobies by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Informative
    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:i myself prefer boobies by digitalgiblet · · Score: 3, Funny

      Little known fact: many bird species were named by male scientists who really, really needed to get out and socialize more.

    2. Re:i myself prefer boobies by tychovi · · Score: 1

      Yeah, they should socialize more. After all, the study we're discussing is about scientists who thought they heard a pair of Great Tits talking...

  14. Com'on! by pottymouth · · Score: 1

    Boobies and science!! It's simply not possible to get any better than that (Ok, maybe boobies, science and beer...)

    1. Re:Com'on! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've always been partial to the Blue-footed booby myself.

    2. Re:Com'on! by Chris+Burke · · Score: 1

      (Ok, maybe boobies, science and beer...)

      We need to apply for a grant from NSF to study The Effects of Fermented Berries and Other Plants on Great Tits, now.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    3. Re:Com'on! by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      Boobies =/= Tits.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  15. New niches - Specialization - Sub Species by Co0Ps · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's interesting how human urbanization affects the behavior of animals, creating new niches and possibly new sub species as in this case. Once at a large parking lot I saw small birds jumping up and eating the insects that got stuck on the cars registration signs and windshields. Apparently, they had specialized in this, cleaning out new cars that got parked. In the future, we will probably have a set of animals that are completly dependant of the urban environment and human activities.

  16. slashdot definitely needs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    more titties!!!!!!!!!!

  17. It is "let's" by wowbagger · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Let us try to act as though we understand how to spell, and use the proper contraction form "let's" when we are forming the contraction of "let us", shall we?

    Of course, given the /. propensity for "loose", "your" when the contraction "you're" is intended, and the eternal battle against the mindset of "An apostrophe! Look out, here comes an 's'!", perhaps we should just call Butch in on this one.

  18. what is this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i am 12 years old and what is this

  19. Great Tits by Veggiesama · · Score: 1

    (Lets act like adults).

    No.

    1. Re:Great Tits by laejoh · · Score: 0

      Am I the only one thinking "LISP" seeing both parentheses?

  20. Oh come on! by hellfire · · Score: 4, Funny

    (Lets act like adults)

    Really? You want slashdotters to have a mature, serious discussion with no inuendo about "Great Tits?" You have to be out of your mind!

    Well if you are so offended by our elementary school breast humor, then all I have to say is tough tits!! Get over it!

    --

    "All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"

    1. Re:Oh come on! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod up, please! This is the kind of post I was going to put up.

  21. Tits and low brow humor by yerktoader · · Score: 4, Funny

    city Great Tits prefer other city Great Tits over country Great Tits. (Lets act like adults).

    Or we could take George Carlin's view on the low brow - if you can't laugh at a fart joke...

  22. Said "tits". by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Heh.

    Heh - heh.

  23. If they migrate from Urban to Rural areas... by Banichi · · Score: 1

    ...and back, can we dub them "Bouncing" Tits?

  24. He said "tits" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lets be honest, this post was just an excuse to tag something with "greattits".

  25. Well.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Next time someone flips me the bird, I hope it will be one of those Great Tits you people are talking about.

  26. That's odd it looks like Slashdot by genner · · Score: 1

    ...but it reads like fark.com

  27. Fat chance by Alex+Belits · · Score: 1

    (Lets act like adults)

    Yeah, when the article is about tits telling other tits to GTFO. Not to mention the fact that research did not involve female tits (there are no girls...) thus leaving its most important question unanswered.

    --
    Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
  28. Location does affect the species ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most likely the birds that were raised in the city primarily had a diet of discarded foodstuff such as French fries, burgers, or other fast food items loaded with chemicals and preservatives while the countries birds most likely feed on insects and vegetation that was more natural and wholesome.

    So if you had to choice between the two sets of birds which would be the preferred variety?

    A) The tits that are all natural or
    B) the ones that are pumped full of chemicals

    As men of science we must know the answer to this probing question.

  29. I'm sure someone's already said this... by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 1

    but I'm far too lazy to read all the comments on THIS kind of story, so I'll say it myself:

    I refer Great Tits in the city instead of the country because I live in the city and thus have easier access to them.

    Example:
    http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/ads/1204098642.html

    --
    Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
  30. of interest to slashdot by nazsco · · Score: 1

    A study that proves that ladies prefers the male city great tit.

    Now that's something that will interest the audience here.

  31. Tits by Cormophyte · · Score: 1

    (you people spend far too much time complicating what should be such a simple comment)

  32. Southern drawl by Capmaster · · Score: 1

    I defy these researchers to find country birds with a southern drawl and see if it yields the same result.

  33. Nothing? by Ithelrand · · Score: 1

    Seeing them without looking out your window?

    1. Re:Nothing? by hbean · · Score: 1

      No doubt, but the joke doesn't work as well :P

      --
      "Give someone a program, frustrate them for a day... Teach someone to program, frustrate them for a lifetime."
  34. When I Bird Watch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I enjoy Great Tits also; just a thought...

  35. Great Tits like coconuts..... by SurlyToad · · Score: 1

    Its got to be said!

  36. I have seen a better Great Tits headline by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have seen a better Great Tits headline. A while back on the BBC there was this one: "Great tits cope well with warming". It was about how this species of bird is doing well with the warming environment.

    --
    Time to offend someone
  37. Your tax dollars at work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who dreams up these research projects ? Who are the clowns who approve the money for them ?