Some birds such as starlings (right) are better at mimicking R2-D2 (left) than others. Researchers did acoustic analyses on samples of birds imitating the plucky droid that were already available ...

When you think of birds imitating sounds, parrots and starlings might come to mind. They’re famous for copying human speech, car alarms, and even ringtone melodies. But what happens when you challenge ...

Launched by the National Audubon Society in 1900, the international gathering now hosts more than 2,600 “count circles” ...

MUNCIE, Ind. — A noisy parrot that likes to imitate sounds helped save a man and his son from a house fire by mocking a smoke alarm, the bird’s owner says. Shannon Conwell, 33, said he and his ...

Part 1. 'I don't do calls' -- Crossing the sound barrier -- Tone and timpre -- Pitch and frequency -- Rhythm and timing -- Part 2. Put it all together and what have you got? -- Simple calls -- Simple ...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, R2-D2 beeped and booped—and now birds that copy the Star Wars character are giving scientists fresh insight into how different species imitate complex sounds ...