Songbirds share a number of parallels with humans that make them an attractive model system for studying the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the learning and processing of vocal communication signals. Here we review the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms of audition in birds, and emphasize the behavioral and neural basis of song recognition. Where appropriate, we point out a number of intersections with human vocal communication behavior that suggest common mechanisms amenable to further study, and limitations of birdsong as a model for human language. (Contains 2 figures.)