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Mice really can sing, scientists say.

Not only that, but they claim that male mice sing like birds to woo females.

They also change their tune depending on whether she is within sight or not.

Mice use music to seduce mates, research reveals - and males sing one song when they could simply smell a female and another one when they could see her.

The females, meanwhile, seem to like some of the songs more than others.

In a quirky study that could shed help shed light on autism and other conditions that involve difficulties in communication, researchers from Duke University in North Carolina studied male mice that were either placed in a cage with a female – or one with just her scent.

Special equipment was used to record and analyse their squeaks, which are so high-pitched that people can't hear them.

This revealed that they sang one song when they could simply smell a female and another one when they could see her.

When they could merely smell a potential mate, they belted out an extremely shrill and complex song, perhaps in an attempt to make themselves known.

But when she was within sight, they serenaded her more softly. 

These songs also had a more simple structure and were longer.

Researcher Jonathan Chabout said: 'We think this has something to do with the complex song being like a calling song and when he sees the female, he switches to a simpler song in order to save energy to chase and try to court her at the same time.'

Writing in the journal Frontiers of Behavioral Neuroscience (MUST CREDIT), he said: 'It was surprising to me how much change occurs to these songs in different social contexts, when the songs are thought to be innate.'

'It is clear that the mouse's ability to vocalise is a lot more limited than a songbird or human's and yet it is remarkable that we can find these differences in song complexity.'

A second experiment showed that given a choice of the two songs, a female preferred to sit by the speaker blaring out the complex call of attraction.

Like the makers of Bagpuss, who dreamt up six musical mice as characters in the 1970's children's TV series, scientists have long known mice can sing.

It has been known that pups call out for their mothers but the function of other songs has remained unclear.

Learning how the brain produces different songs or calls in different situations could further understanding of autism, which his characterised by difficulties in interacting appropriately with others.  

Next, the scientists plan to investigate the role of genes and brain areas in mouse song.

The research, published in the journal Frontiers In Behavioral Neuroscience, may contribute to better understanding of autism and vocal communication disorders in humans.

'We and other scientists from all over the globe are studying mice to test the limits of vocal learning and plasticity,' said Dr Jarvis.

Recordings of the songs have been uploaded to MouseTube, a repository of mouse music set up by scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France.