Dr Julie Elie at the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded the 2026 Coller-Dolittle prize for two-way interspecies communication after decoding the 11 core calls in the zebra finch vocabulary and their meanings. The prize, valued at $100,000, recognizes her work in revealing how these birds announce who they are and what they are doing, and recognize one another using individual signatures.
Decoding the Zebra Finch Dictionary
Elie observed and recorded the sounds zebra finches made, classifying calls according to the situation and the bird that produced them. She used machine learning to analyze how information was encoded in the calls and then tested whether the birds agreed with her classification. In one experiment, zebra finches learned to tap a button to skip unrewarding calls, similar to scrolling through social media videos. The birds occasionally confused calls with similar meanings rather than similar sounds, indicating they understand the meaning of their vocalizations.
Recognition and Implications
“I’m really super-honoured,” Elie said on winning the prize, adding that she hoped the work was a step forwards in the “great endeavour” to communicate with animals. Prof Yossi Yovel, a zoologist at Tel Aviv University and chair of the panel of judges, said the work marked “a key moment in the field.” Prof Jonathan Birch, a philosopher at the London School of Economics and a judge, called it “absolutely phenomenal work” that moved rigorously from recording thousands of calls to understanding their meanings.
Broader Context and Future Prospects
The prize was launched in 2024 by the Jeremy Coller Foundation, which promotes awareness of animal welfare and animal sentience, in partnership with Tel Aviv University. Beyond annual prizes, the foundation has established a $10 million grand prize for cracking two-way human-animal communication. Advances in artificial intelligence are transforming hopes for coherent communication with animals, though Prof Yovel noted there is still a long way to go. Jeremy Coller, the British billionaire financier behind the prize, said, “I’m convinced this is now inevitable. It’s inevitable because AI is accelerating so fast. I have absolute conviction we will crack the code by 2030.”
Other Shortlisted Research
Other scientists shortlisted for the prize included a French team that showed how African striped mice reveal their identity through ultrasonic squeaks; a Swiss-US team that found bonobos combine their calls into sequences resembling human sentences; and another French team that worked with researchers in Côte d’Ivoire to understand chimpanzee hoos and yelps.
