Female Birdsong Research

Historically, birdsong research focused almost exclusively on male birds, reinforcing a long-standing bias in behavioural ecology. This case study—based on a 2020 article by Haines, Rose, Odom, and Omland—shows how increasing gender diversity among researchers has helped redress this imbalance. By analysing 20 years of authorship data, the authors demonstrate that research on female birdsong is disproportionately led by women scientists. Women accounted for 68% of first authors on female birdsong papers, compared to just 44% on general birdsong papers.

This shift highlights how researcher identity can shape what questions get asked, what data are collected, and which species or behaviours are studied. The research team reflects on this through a reflexive lens, acknowledging their own positionality and the methodological choices involved in analysing gendered authorship. They also note the limitations of using a binary gender framework and call for more inclusive approaches in future studies.

The underrepresentation of female song in earlier literature is not a reflection of nature—it is a reflection of bias. Recent evidence shows that two-thirds of songbird species have female song, contradicting decades of male-focused research. By making this bias visible and tracing how researcher diversity leads to broader and more representative scientific questions, this study exemplifies how inclusive research practices can transform our understanding of the natural world.

You can read the full paper here: The role of diversity in science: a case study of women advancing female birdsong research by Haines et al.