Language has long been considered a uniquely human trait, with features that mark it out as distinct from the communication of all other species. Their findings, published in the journal build on the team’s previous discovery that humpback whales also rely on a similar systematic structure. The study suggests that, like human language, communication for songbirds and humpback whales is an evolutionary solution, with the structure of songs crucial to learning. “By using insights from how babies learn language we’ve been able to take a closer look at birdsong, and have discovered a commonality between these species separated by more than 300 million years of evolution.” “By using insights from how babies learn language we’ve been able to take a closer look at birdsong, and have discovered a commonality between these species separated by more than 300 million years of evolution.”