When Danielle Belleny discovered the flute in middle school, she was hooked. “I absolutely fell in love with learning those études as a high schooler,” said Belleny of the work of classical composer Sigfrid Karg-Elert.
As an adult, the Texas-based wildlife biologist prides herself on her ability to recognize birdsong. And a new study is showing that her childhood expertise in human music might have made her ability to become a bird-watching expert much easier.
A recent study found that the brain skills that expert bird-watchers use—like attention to certain types of features or markings—help them retain similar but new information (like quickly learning about a bird they haven’t seen before). But researchers think that those same skills might help bird-watchers learn brand new things, like being able to distinguish types of dinosaurs or cars.
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