We view birds as mastersingers owing to their ability to sing a wide range of motifs. What we enjoy as birdsong, however, is not innate to songbirds. They have to learn it from others of the species. Every species has its own distinctive song. And why some, like the nightingale, have a very complex call whereas others sound almost trivial remains a mystery Ornithologists can distinguish the chirps and tweets of up to 700 species of songbird and communicate with them using the relevant birdcalls.