Starling’s Song Stores Data in Groundbreaking Bird Experiment

Musician’s discovery reveals birds’ potential as living data carriers, raising questions about nature’s untapped tech.

In a stunning fusion of nature and technology, musician and amateur scientist Benn Jordan recorded a European starling, named Mouth, mimicking a sound that stored 176 kilobytes of image data, an unprecedented feat.

At a Louisville rescue, Jordan used ultrasonic microphones to capture Mouth’s replication of a spectral synthesizer’s bird image, played from a phone.

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The starling’s syrinx, with its dual muscle sets, enabled precise mimicry, effectively “storing” data in its song.

Conducted in 2025, this experiment highlights birds’ extraordinary vocal abilities and suggests novel bio-acoustic applications.

Jordan’s DIY devices also identified 31 bird species on his farm, aiding conservation efforts for endangered species like the red-headed woodpecker.

This discovery exposes nature’s complexity, challenging human perceptions of intelligence and opening doors to affordable bio-acoustic research, accessible to enthusiasts for under $500.