# Drunk birds slur their songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562 "2014-12-30T20:11:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/1 "2014-12-30T20:11:32Z")
My brother sent me a link to [this article](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/12/29/scientists-show-that-drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/). I thought it was interesting, especially these statements: > [@](#): > > The researchers study birdsong to learn more about human speech. Birds learn to sing in much the same way that humans learn to talk (in fact, a recent study found that birdsong and speech even rely on the same genes)… > [@](#): > > “At first we were thinking that they wouldn’t drink on their own because, you know, a lot of animals just won’t touch the stuff,” researcher Christopher Olson told NPR, “But they seem to tolerate it pretty well and be somewhat willing to consume it.” > [@](#): > > “The most pronounced effects were decreased amplitude and increased entropy,” the researchers wrote in the study. So in other words, their songs got quieter and less organized. > > But not all parts of the song were equally affected. Zebra finch songs are made up of specific syllables – ones with distinct acoustic structures. And some of those syllables seemed to be more garbled in tipsy trillers than others… ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/2 "2014-12-30T21:35:33Z")
Zebra finches don’t sing, they beep. I used to have a bunch and I would always “beep” at them and they’d all “beep” back. I never tried to get them drunk, guess I missed out on some slurred beeping. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/3 "2014-12-30T23:24:23Z")
Had a black mask lovebird who got into some whiskey once by accident (we do NOT endorse getting pets drunk!). Yep, he “tolerated” it and was “willing” to consume it. In fact, protested our removal of him from its presence. Smart animal, though - he didn’t attempt to drive, fly, or text while inebriated, and after the next day’s hangover never touched anything but plain water again. Smarter than a lot of humans I’ve known. Watching him stagger up a rope ladder to his perch was sort of interesting. Birds seem to like strong tasting stuff so it doesn’t surprise me that researcher could persuade them to try strong drink. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/4 "2014-12-31T01:30:17Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Had a black mask lovebird who got into some whiskey once by accident (we do NOT endorse getting pets drunk!). Yep, he “tolerated” it and was “willing” to consume it. In fact, protested our removal of him from its presence. > > Smart animal, though - he didn’t attempt to drive, fly, or text while inebriated, and after the next day’s hangover never touched anything but plain water again. Smarter than a lot of humans I’ve known. > > Watching him stagger up a rope ladder to his perch was sort of interesting. > > Birds seem to like strong tasting stuff so it doesn’t surprise me that researcher could persuade them to try strong drink. Sounds like a wise, responsible bird. [Here is a link](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/this-is-what-it-sounds-like-when-drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/) with more info- and audio clips of the slurring birds. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/5 "2014-12-31T05:09:07Z")
When I drink, I sing the wrong lyrics to songs. This is especially egregious when\* “Girl with Far-away Eyes”\* comes on the sound system. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/6 "2014-12-31T10:48:25Z")
Oh, no way!! I can’t believe I’m reading that thread title!! You see, when I was little, we had a pyracantha bush at my house. My mom always told me that the birds would eat the berries, and then get drunk. Flash forward to me all grown up with a little son of my own. I told him the same thing about those berries and birds, and – bless his heart – he used to _throw the berries to birds,_ you know, so they could have a good time on a Friday night or whatever. And then we developed this whole **thing** about birds drunk on pyracantha berries, and how they would stumble down the street wing in wing, singing “Show Me The Way To Go Home,” all slurring the words and everything. Ha ha! This is awesome! I must show this to him! (He has just reached the age of pyracantha-berry-imbibing himself now.) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/7 "2014-12-31T13:22:51Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > When I drink, I sing the wrong lyrics to songs. This is especially egregious when\* “Girl with Far-away Eyes”\* comes on the sound system. The thread title made me think of a Carpenters song. _Why do birds suddenly appear, slurring songs and hiccuping? Just like me, they long to be stinking drunk. Why do birds fall down from the sky, ev’ry time you walk by? It’s 'cause you’re feeding them booze, you skunk._ ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drunk-birds-slur-their-songs/708562/8 "2014-12-31T21:55:24Z")
That would explain the song my mother once heard about robins flying south in dirty underwear.