This is a wonderful thread by @kohngregory.bsky.social! Read it carefully, follow the links, and spread it around. More scientists, including neuroscientists, will think better if they take the time to understand these important issues.
Mark Blumberg
This is an awe-inspiring and fascinating study that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. However, the overall framing in terms of "innate versus learned” is unnecessary. The innate versus acquired dichotomy is outdated and has been for a long time. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Over 20 species of geographically and phylogenetically diverse bird species produce convergent whining vocalizations towards their respective brood parasites. Model presentation and playback experiments across multiple continents suggest that these learned calls provoke an innate response even among allopatric species.