3 Adult Zebra Finches (IMAGE) Penn State Caption New research that reveals the activity of nerve cells in a songbird's brain as the bird sings a specific song is helping scientists to understand how birds string together sets of syllables -- and it also may provide insight into how the human brain learns language and produces speech. "Unlike dogs and cats, whose vocalizations are innate and unlearned, songbirds learn a song in much the same way as humans learn a language, explains Dezhe Jin at Penn State University. This photo shows an three adult zebra finches, a species that Jin and other members of the research team studied. Credit Liza Gross Usage Restrictions The credit information must be published along with the image. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.