About half of the estimated 10,000 known bird species learn their vocalizations through imitation – a type of learning that shares many behavioral and genetic features with how humans learn to talk. Studying these birds can shed light on the process behind how language acquisition takes place, as well as conditions in which it sometimes goes awry, such as with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Todd Roberts, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neuroscience, has made vocal learning in birds the focus of his career. His work centers on zebra finches, a songbird species commonly kept as pets in the U.S.