Chickens prefer a pleasant and harmonious melodies

Most of the birds are able to distinguish between the good harmonious and discordant melody. However, some birds, particularly songbirds, use sophisticated melodies to communicate. In the scientific community there is debate about whether the "musical" congenital hearing the birds, or they acquire it in the course of communication with older individuals.

Cinzia Kiandetti (Cinzia Chiandetti) and Giorgio Vallortigara (Giorgio Vallortigara) of the University of Trento (Italy) found that even newborn chicks are able to distinguish harmonic melody and cacophony, without any contact with chickens after birth.

Scientists have grown a population of chickens, all of which came into the world alone and isolated from the other chicks. In the experiment, they were placed in a small corridor, at the ends of which were located dynamics. To assess the "hearing" of birds, researchers used a set of audio fragments that are used to assess the hearing of infants. From one speaker sounded harmonious music, and the second - a combination of music from the first speaker and relatively unpleasant sounds.

In the first experiments, the birds froze in the middle of the corridor at a time when the music starts. As explained by scientists, is a common reaction to the appearance of the hens natural phenomenon unknown to them. With each repeated the experiment chickens with increasing frequency moved toward the speaker with a harmonious music.

"Our findings are particularly interesting in the sense that the chickens are not songbirds and do not have high aesthetic taste, but, nevertheless, they are able to distinguish between the harmonious and discordant melody" - explains Kiandetti.

Scientists believe a good ear for music chickens to help them better navigate the area and helps to adapt to environmental changes.

Source: www.rian.ru

via factroom.ru