Are you one of the growing number of people that find the ubiquitous ringing of a cell phone to be one of the prime stressors in your day? Most of us have been there – commuting home from work after a busy day and the ringtone of an unanswered cell phone reverberates through your head. It’s the up-to-date version of a crying baby. Ringtones, like babies, might be a necessary evil, making it easier to endure the torment, but thank goodness that you don’t live in Denmark. If you find the repetitive sound of the ringtone getting you down, this is one vacation destination you might want to avoid.



Because in Denmark, nature has imitated art in a most annoying way. Perhaps not art, exactly – most musicians would be horrified to hear the ringtone rendition of their hard work being referred to as art – but nature has definitely decided to play a joke on mankind. Because Denmark is the home of an especially talented group of birds that have successfully learned to mimic the hi-tech tunes used as cell phone ringtones and incorporate the sounds into their regular birdsong repertoire.

The Danish Ornithological Association has reported that local birds have been listening in on our calls. Repeated exposure to the dulcet sounds of cell phone ringtones has lead to these birds learning to sing the tunes themselves and repeat them for the enjoyment of all around. Perhaps it’s not enjoyment exactly, but the tunes probably sound more musical coming from our feathered friends. While some bird experts remain sceptical, they do admit that certain varieties of bird are capable of mimicking sounds overheard in their environment, including such species as the starling and the myna bird. It’s rumored that the local people have affectionately dubbed one of these talented animals ‘Nokia’.

So if the prevalence of a variety of ringtones has caused your blood pressure to rise, then spare a thought for the poor people of Denmark. It’s one thing when these sounds have a practical purpose, but when the local bird population starts to mimic the sounds they hear so often, then perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at ourselves. It might just be nature’s way of telling us to switch those phones off for a while!