Talking to birds: A future possibility

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2026/07/03

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Talking to birds: A future possibility

Vocabulary Match

scientist •• expert
finches •• gadgets
discovered •• birds
situations •• events
recognise •• found
technology •• identify

Vocabulary Answers

scientistexpert
finchesbirds
discoveredfound
situationsevents
recogniseidentify
technologygadgets

Article

Could people talk to birds one day? A scientist in America thinks it may become possible in the future. Dr Julie Elie spent more than ten years studying zebra finches, small birds from Australia. She listened to thousands of bird calls and discovered that the birds use different sounds for different situations.

For example, some calls warn other birds about danger, while others help birds find their friends. The birds can even recognise each other by voice. Dr Elie won a $100,000 prize for her research. Now, some scientists believe AI could help humans understand animals better. Perhaps one day, people may even "chat" with birds using technology.

Quiz

  1. What has Dr Julie Elie been studying for over ten years?
  2. What can zebra finches do with their calls?
  3. How much money did Dr Elie win for her research?
  4. What do some scientists believe AI could help humans do?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Dr Julie Elie has been studying zebra finches.
  2. Zebra finches can use different sounds for different situations, like warning about danger or finding friends.
  3. Dr Elie won $100,000 for her research.
  4. Some scientists believe AI could help humans understand animals better.

Conversation

A:Wow, Dr Elie, you've been studying birds for over ten years?
B:Yes, those little zebra finches are quite fascinating!
A:Can they really recognise each other by voice?
B:Absolutely, they're like little singers with unique tunes.
A:So, do you think we'll be chatting with birds soon?
B:Maybe! Just imagine asking a bird how its day was!

Discussion

  1. Would you like to talk to birds if it were possible?
  2. What animal would you want to chat with?
  3. What would you ask a bird if you could understand it?
  4. How might the world change if we could talk to animals?

Source Material

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jun/26/human-animal-communication-step-closer-scientist-wins-prize-for-decoding-birdsong


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