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The incident on Friday marked the first time the Eastern European country has intercepted an intruding aircraft since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, President Nicusor Dan noted.

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However, concern that Moscow’s war on Ukraine risks entangling neighbouring NATO states is on the rise. Romania is one of several alliance members to confront repeated stray drones recently, as Russia and Ukraine launch hundreds of drones daily.

Dan reported that a Romanian F-16 jet shot down the drone after it entered the country’s airspace, adding that the fighter had shot over an uninhabited area.

A Romanian military source told the Reuters news agency that Russia was the suspected point of origin, given the pattern of previous incursions in the region.

Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said a radar first detected the drone about 20km (12 miles) east of the Black Sea port of Sulina, before it crossed into national airspace on a path through Braila, Fetesti and Buzau county.

Two Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets, deployed to Romania under NATO’s air policing mission, were joined by two Romanian F-16s. One F-16 engaged the target with an air-to-air missile, downing it over unpopulated ground near the village of Padina. No casualties or injuries were reported.

Romania, an EU and NATO member sharing a border with Ukraine, has recorded dozens of drone incursions since the war began. This incident marked the first successful interception.

In late May, a drone struck an apartment building in the city of Galati, injuring two people – the first time such a strike hit a populated area in a NATO country.

NATO and European Union officials condemned the incident. The European Commission said it showed Russia’s war had “crossed yet another line”.

A month later, a Ukrainian sea drone exploded at the port of Constanta. Kyiv said that it had launched the vessel, which had been knocked off course by Russian jamming.

The Baltic states have also reported repeated airspace violations in recent months, incursions that contributed to the collapse of Latvia’s government in May.

NATO chief Mark Rutte has said Moscow’s “reckless behaviour is a danger to us all”. United States ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has pledged the alliance will “defend every inch” of its territory. %!s()

A framework for birdsong mechanics

To be functional, the sound waves that comprise a bird's song must both carry useful information and survive traveling through the environment to another bird. The authors of the new study say scientists aren't sure how much of the global bird soundscape is a consequence of phylogenetics and how much has been shaped by the physics of species' habitats. Earlier studies have often reduced songs to basic measures, such as average pitch, neglecting the timing and frequency patterns that make songs information-rich.

The study authors write, "These approaches do not fully capture the rich informational content embedded in a song's intricate spectro-temporal architecture—the very patterns of frequency and amplitude modulations that carry its meaning. In this work, we explicitly treat birdsongs as vectors of information to map the global diversity of acoustic communication and uncover its environmental drivers."

Some prior work proposed that habitats shape animal calls because forests, humidity and background noise distort sound differently, while others linked birdsong to body size, beak shape, mating systems and cultural learning. This study ties all of these together through the songs of 3,160 passerine species collected through a citizen science project. The team says passerines are an ideal test case because they occupy nearly every land habitat, include more than 6,000 species and represent more than 60% of all birds.

The eight building blocks of birdsong

The researchers used automated sound analysis to sort recordings into eight recurring acoustic motifs. They characterized each song by its modulation power spectrum, a sound representation that maps energy across spectral and temporal modulation dimensions. They found that most songs combine between two and eight motifs, much like combining elements in a musical phrase.

The eight motifs included three types of trills at different speeds, three types of whistles with differing pitch modulation and two more complex structures that the researchers call atonal chaotic notes and harmonic stacks.

The study authors write, "Notably, most species (65.3%) display their dominant motif in more than 80% of their songs. In the other species (34.7%), the dominant motif is used to a lesser extent, which allows for greater song variability. Given that passerines share a keen ability to resolve complex spectrotemporal modulations, these eight motifs are certainly perceptually distinguishable by all passerine species."

Patterns of birdsong across the world

The team found several song patterns that reflect both a species' evolution and ecology, including those involving social behavior, body form and mating systems. For example, they found that species that use long-range communication produce a higher proportion of flat whistles and slow trills. Meanwhile, species signaling at close range were more likely to use faster and more complex motifs, like harmonic stacks and ultrafast trills.

Mating systems were also correlated with a smaller but consistent shift in motif composition, with more complex sounds, like fast-modulated whistles, occurring more often in polygynous species. However, the team says phylogeny accounted for the largest percentage of variation, at 82% of the explained variation in motifs.

When they mapped where motifs occur, compared them with bird traits and evolutionary relationships, and modeled how well sounds travel in forested and open habitats, they found that habitat and sound physics strongly shape the global map. This is largely due to the way sound travels in dense, humid environments, like tropical rainforests, versus more open and less humid environments.

A trade-off appears to exist between encoding more information and transmitting it over long distances. Birds in tropical rainforests tended to use simpler sounds, especially flat whistles and slow trills, which retain their identity over long distances in dense vegetation. On the other hand, birds in temperate regions more often favored fast, complex trills and whistles, even though they degrade more easily over longer distances.

The study authors write, "Although our results support the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in tropical rainforests, where species preferentially use song motifs resilient to signal degradation, they reveal a contrasting regime in temperate latitudes. In these regions, more complex and degradation-prone motifs are favored. We propose that this shift is driven by shorter interindividual communication distances and more intense sexual selection, which together outweigh the costs of propagation constraints."

This study highlights how animal communication is shaped not only by evolution and courtship but also by the physical world through which sound travels. There are some limitations, as not all species are covered in the study and the use of open-source collections for bird songs can result in inaccurate species identification. However, the team says its framework provides a robust foundation for scaling up evolutionary hypotheses on signal transmission that were previously formulated at local scales.

Written for you by our author Krystal Kasal, edited by Lisa Lock, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.

Publication details

Quentin Bacquelé et al, The global biogeography of passerine songs, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aee6239

Who's behind this story?

Krystal Kasal

Freelance science writer with Master's in physics. Five years clinical research and physics education experience. Science communicator. Full profile →

Lisa Lock

BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator. Editing for Science X since 2021. Full profile →

Robert Egan

Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile →

© 2026 Science X Network

Citation: Why and how birdsong differs across the world—and the eight motifs that tie them together (2026, July 24) retrieved 24 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-birdsong-differs-world-motifs.html

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After visiting all 50 states and all 63 US national parks solo, I've learned that sometimes, the most impressive places in the country aren't always the major tourist attractions.

In fact, some of my favorite places are ones I don't hear people talking about often. During a road trip over a decade ago, I first saw one of those places — Shoshone Falls, located on the Snake River in Twin Falls, Idaho.

This magnificent waterfall, often referred to as the "Niagara of the West," is actually taller than its more popular Northeastern counterpart.

However, after several trips there, I think it deserves its own place on travelers' bucket lists.

Shoshone Falls is stunning and easy to access

During my first drive to Shoshone Falls Park, I wasn't sure I was in the right place. Much of the landscape approaching the park is relatively flat, so as I descended down the deep canyon and the falls started to come into view, it was unexpected — and almost took my breath away.

In addition to the sheer beauty of the falls, I also love how accessible they are. From March 1 through the fall, it only costs $5 per car to enter.

Another perk? The first viewing platform is just steps from the parking lot, and the Observation Deck Trail that leads to a second viewing area is just 0.7 miles long — putting you at a great vantage point for the falls and canyon below.

Once there, the sheer power and size of the falls is impressive — the sort of thing you can't really conceptualize until you're in front of it.

The surrounding basalt canyon walls are massive and striking, especially in contrast to the Snake River that cuts through. Plus, the water droplets from the falls can create vibrant rainbows that add to the magical surroundings.

I'd recommend walking a portion of the Snake River Canyon Rim Trail to see various perspectives of the falls and landscape, with fewer people than you'll find at the viewing platforms.

There's plenty to do in the area

After viewing the falls, I like to head to Dierkes Lake Park, a city park that's less than a mile away and included in the $5 entry fee for Shoshone Falls.

There's a short walking trail around the lake, along with seasonal concessions and lifeguards, making it a great spot for a full summer beach day, complete with a swim or a picnic.

Aside from spending time in nature, there's so much to do in Twin Falls. It's a fun place to walk around and visit shops, restaurants and breweries. I like to grab dinner or a drink — with a view of the Snake River Canyon from above — at Redhawk or Elevation 486.

Next time I'm in the area, I'd love to rent a kayak and get out on the Snake River. Although you can't currently kayak all the way to Shoshone Falls, kayaking through the canyon, under the iconic Perrine Bridge, and to nearby Pillar Falls is on my bucket list.

I think Shoshone Falls deserves a spot on every traveler's bucket list

Niagara Falls may get more hype, but after visiting all 50 states and all 63 US national parks, I can confidently say that Shoshone Falls is one of the most beautiful natural attractions in the US.

I definitely think the warmer seasons are the best times to visit, since spring brings peak flow (driven by snowmelt), and summer allows tourists to take full advantage of everything the area has to offer.

In my opinion, Shoshone Falls perfectly encapsulates Idaho's varied landscapes and offers an impressive alternative to some of the country's better-known waterfalls.

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Emily Hart

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Emily is a content creator, writer, teacher, painter, yogi, and solo explorer based in Colorado. She has visited 59 major US National Parks and all 50 US states solo. You can follow Emily on Instagram @emilyventures.  

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July 24, 2026

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Table of Contents

This week Garmin launched the Cirqa, its first screenless smart band, for $199.99. Right out of the gate, Garmin leaned into marketing the Cirqa as a Whoop alternative that does not require a subscription. However, that "subscription-free" promise is already under fire.

Within these first few days of the Cirqa's long-awaited launch, users have begun voicing concerns that some very basic workout features require a Garmin Connect+ subscription—namely, live heart rate displays. Luckily, Garmin has already responded to the outcry, confirming that an update should fix this issue within the next couple of days. Here's what we know so far.

Garmin will roll out Cirqa updates in the next few days

Hands-on testing this week revealed that if you want to see your current heart rate during a workout, you'd need to sign up for a Garmin Connect+ subscription for $6.99 per month. Without paying, you could only see your average heart rate after finishing a workout—not a live reading, which is extremely useful during the exercise itself.

Others have pointed out that the change appears to be a direct response to the backlash the Cirqa received in its first days on the market. When I asked Garmin for comment, a rep told me: "We'll be rolling out live heart rate during activities in the next Garmin Connect Mobile build. This subscription-free feature will be available in the next few days to Cirqa Smart Band customers."

Even still, it's important to note that not all features are available without a subscription. Garmin Connect locks a whole range of advanced features behind a subscription paywall, from Garmin Coach (which can create personalized training plans), to nutrition tracking, meditation, and breathing exercises.

What do you think so far?

To Garmin's credit, the reversal came fast. Still, Cirqa's entire pitch is built around not needing a monthly fee, so locking something as fundamental as a live heart rate reading behind Connect+ was always going to look bad. It's worth noting that competing screenless trackers like the Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap show it for free, too.

What this means for you

The bigger story here is Garmin's (and other fitness trackers') ominous pattern of paywalling things. With this week's live heart rate outcry, it looks like plenty of Cirqa users instinctively interpreted what could have been a software bug as some sort of corporate ploy. Garmin has spent the last couple of years steadily moving more functionality into Connect+, and each time it does, longtime users brace for the next basic feature to disappear behind that wall.

I asked a rep directly about whether "subscription-free" promises could change down the line. With standard disclaimers about not speaking to any future roadmap, Garmin says it won't suddenly wall off features that are free today. Any future paid tier would be additive, with new features available behind a subscription, rather than existing stuff pulled behind a paywall. None of this is confirmed, but it's a fairly predictable shape a future paywall would take, so I'll be keeping an eye on it for you.

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For

• Looks great
• Lovely typing feel
• Super sturdy

Against

• That price
• Software hiccups

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After you spend above a certain amount of money on your gaming keyboard, you're not really paying for quality, specs, or competitive edge anymore. I felt this recently while testing out Melgeek's Centauri 80. In my approximation, any more than $200 and you move into bragging rights/centrepiece territory, and by that logic, I reckon the Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20 is worth about three centrepieces.

It's an expensive old beast, and $100 more than the already very pricey Asus ROG Azoth Extreme, which we reviewed back in 2024. But it's hard to say that Asus hasn't thrown absolutely everything at this new keyboard to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of ROG; you're getting an 8,000 Hz polling, up to 1,600 hours of battery life, a carbon-fibre positioning plate, as well as multi-layer dampening, plus a whole host of extra accessories and extras in the box.

Oh, and did I mention the 24K-gold-plated commemorative nameplate? I probably should have mentioned the 24K-gold-plated commemorative nameplate.

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The Azoth Extreme is a very well-built bit of tech. It's super hefty, but it's heavy for a reason. It's sturdy, and though I wouldn't much like to drop a $600 gaming keyboard, I feel like I could do so with relatively minor problems here. The OLED screen up at the top right looks lovely, and the controls next to it are easy to use and quite handy. You can adjust volume, change brightness, and even set up custom controls. It's not quite as useful as the likes of the Corsair Galleon 100 SD and its built-in Stream Deck, but it will likely be enough for most.

Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20 Specs

Form factor: TKL
Switch: ROG NX Mechanical Switch (hot swappable)
Keycaps: ROG Edition 20 Translucent-Black Keycaps Lighting: Per-key RGB
Connection type: Wired and wireless (Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz)
Polling: 8,000 Hz
Battery life: up to 1600 hours
Extras: Name plate, polling rate booster, palm rest.
Weight: 1.5 kg
Price: $600 | £540

Thanks to that weight, this TKL keyboard isn't exactly the type of thing you'd throw in a backpack. That said, a heavy keyboard is not nearly as much of a deal breaker as a heavy mouse or a heavy headset. In fact, the only thing I'd watch out for is the long-term wear on a particularly light mouse pad; 1.5 kg is a lot to put on any pad, and that's not including the weight of your hands on the wrist rest either.

The Azoth Extreme Edition 20 splits its keycap designs between standard black ones with a translucent base for the letter and number keys, then fully translucent caps for the F keys, space bar, and those on the side. Aesthetically, it works well and allows the per-key RGB to really shine. Initially, that RGB comes in all-gold (or, I suppose, with it being RGB, closer to a yellowed white). It makes the gold accenting on the side of the keyboard and bottom of the palm rest really pop. Despite gold tending to be a very gauche accent choice, it actually looks great in-person.

Image 1 of 4

The two types of keycaps don't just add to the aesthetic; they also feel different on the fingertips, which is a decent way of keeping your fingers in check when you're not actively looking at the keyboard. The full translucent keys are very smooth to the touch, feeling similar to the ROG Harpe II Extreme Edition gaming mouse, while the other style of keycaps have more of a matte feel. Both keycap designs are pretty in their own right, and the difference in feel between the two isn't distracting either.

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As far as typing is concerned, I'd say the Azoth Extreme Edition 20's actuation is on the light side, but not so much that I found myself misclicking. It's near perfect for accuracy, speed, and ease of use, in my book. The typing sound is light and clicky, with those dampening layers taking out any thock you might expect from the weight of shoving keys down. It's almost like Asus has scooped the bass and mids from it and just left the treble on top.

Typing feel, as a result, is lovely. Keys press easily with a light, satisfying sound. It's easy to find your place on the keyboard by feel too due to the mixture of keycaps and solid spacing all around. I do miss the extra keys of a full-fledged keyboard, but with some smart custom controls, I get by just fine.

Image 1 of 5

My first gaming test with the Azoth Extreme Edition 20 was to take it into a Counter-Strike 2 match, and I can happily report that me losing had nothing to do with the keyboard. It's super snappy and responsive, with its light actuation keys making quick reactions much easier. It's also just plain effortless to use, with little fatigue after hours of gaming. As I learned when I tested the Melgeek Real 81, that's a really important facet of using any gaming keyboard.

You're getting an optional 8,000 Hz polling here (though worse battery life as a result), but you're still getting mechanical switches, which is a surprise. Them being hot swappable certainly helps, but one would hope for analogue or optical switches, for faster clicks, better battery efficiency, and rapid trigger. Still, it's super fast anyway, so you may not notice that downgrade from some other high-spec 2026 gaming keyboards.

Overall, I'd say the Extreme Edition 20 is a stronger package than the 2024 Azoth Extreme, coming with the poll rate booster, plus tons of extra bits, a palm rest, and an upgraded battery life. The NX mechanical switches feel great under the fingers, but you are paying $100 for that upgrade.

One problem I do have with the Azoth Extreme Edition 20 is a pretty common one, as far as keyboards go. The keycaps that don't have translucent tops have white lettering on black, which can be quite tough to make out in the dark. Some keyboard manufacturers get around this by making lettering translucent and shining RGB through it (like the Logitech G915 X Lightspeed), but that makes them harder to see under natural light. This means when there's little light on the keyboard, I have to make out keys through feel.

Unfortunately, Asus's software continues to be a problem. It worked fine when I first set it up but, it suddenly just stopped working when I tried to swap the OLED screen animation. The web app requires an extra bit of software to actually run, and it soon stopped as it said I didn't have the software, despite me installing it. A fresh install did not fix this problem, either. In Armoury Crate, it simply refuses to recognise the keyboard, even with multiple restarts and a fresh batch of software.

Buy if…

✅ You want an uber luxurious keeb: It's a gorgeous keyboard, and an improvement on the standard Azoth (for a fifth more)

Don't buy if…

❌ You just want great specs: The Azoth Extreme has great specs, but you can get almost everything it has for much, much less

Software problems aren't unique, but the Azoth Extreme 20 is a glorious keyboard with golden highlights and a breadth of extra little goodies included in the box. It feels like a limousine coming to pick you up, but inside it turns out to be a plain old Honda Accord. There's nothing wrong with an Accord, but Asus is pulling out the stops for this keyboard, and it simply can't make it down the runway without a hitch.

Stating that the Azoth Extreme Edition 20 is expensive feels so obvious it's almost not worth saying. That might be kinda the point here: it's a limited edition bit of tech that comes with a thank you card, extra switches, a switch and keycap puller, a polling rate booster, the aforementioned nameplate, a cleaning cloth, and all manner of little extras. It is extravagant and meant to feel that way.

As such, comparing it to a standard gaming keyboard is a bit hard, as you don't walk into a Walmart and think 'I wonder if that's worth it'. It's more of a piece of hardware you search out, and if you're prepared to part with all of that money, you are getting a truly lovely bit of tech. I just couldn't ever see myself being prepared to spend that much on it.

Best gaming keyboard 2026

The Verdict

Asus ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20

Asus's super luxurious keyboard looks and feels the part, but software problems betray its sleek look. It also costs three times the amount I'd recommend paying if you just want a 'good' keyboard.

Hardware writer

James is a more recent PC gaming convert, often admiring graphics cards, cases, and motherboards from afar. It was not until 2019, after just finishing a degree in law and media, that they decided to throw out the last few years of education, build their PC, and start writing about gaming instead. In that time, he has covered the latest doodads, contraptions, and gismos, and loved every second of it. Hey, it’s better than writing case briefs.

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