An experiment by a group of scientists has shown that Java sparrows can be trained to distinguish between different human languages.
The findings represent the first time a nonmammalian species has been found capable of recognizing differences between languages, said biological psychologist Shigeru Watanabe, who heads the group.
Monkeys and mice are also believed to have that ability.
The researchers divided seven Java sparrows into two groups, with those in the first group receiving food if they jumped from one perch to another in reaction hearing Chinese, while those in the second group were fed if they did the same thing after English was spoken.
By the end of the 36th day of training, all the sparrows were able to score a passing grade -- distinguishing the two languages at least eight out of 10 times -- for three days in a row, the researchers said.