If you give a flagon of alcohol to a Zebra finch bird, don’t expect a pitch perfect song by the end of the night.

Neuroscientists at the Oregon Health and Science University studying the impact of alcohol on speech vocalization have discovered that these finches produce slightly disorganized, slower melodies under the influence.

The small Zebra finch hails from Australia’s grasslands is one of the most popular pet choices in North America. They provide an excellent platform to study human speech due to the species’ similar language learning techniques, according to team member Christopher Olson.

“We showed up in the morning and mixed a little bit of juice with 6 percent alcohol, and put it in their water bottles and put it in the cage,” Olson tells NPR. “At first we were thinking that they wouldn’t drink on their own because, you know, a lot of animals just won’t touch the stuff. But they seem to tolerate it pretty well and be somewhat willing to consume it.”

Once the deed was done, the finches’ blood alcohol levels ranged from .05 to .08 percent, the legal limit for driving. The neuroscientists extracted very small blood samples to gather this data.

When played side by side at normal speed, the sound of a “sober” bird’s song is nearly indistinguishable from its “drunk” cousin. Once the audio slows down, however, it’s easier to perceive changes.

With the team’s new discoveries in tow, they now hope to explore the larger impact of alcohol on human language development and speech production.

Human speech and language development is a slow and steady process that extends even into adulthood. Although babies babble and cry straight away, vocal development is a plodding game of trial and error. It isn’t until the first birthday that most infants speak their first word with intention.

The study was originally published in Plos One and you can listen to the researchers’ recordings over at NPR’s All Things Considered feature, hosted by Arun Rath.