Close Male songbirds normally discover their tunes from grown-up mentors. But when striving crooners lack adequate role models, they strike all the bad notes-and have limited success luring mates. Ecologist Ross Crates, for five years, has traced the singing potential and breeding achievement of seriously endangered regent honeyeaters. These distinct yellow and black birds were initially widespread in Australia, but the loss of habitat since the 1950s has reduced their population to just around 400 or 300 wild birds presently. (Photo : Pixabay) Honey-Eaters Now they are scarcely distributed across the landscape, quite many fly solo. Whereas male birds created large winter flock once. That implies fewer honeyeater tutors are closeby during youthful birds' impressionable first year.