Birds communicate with vocal sounds and visual cues to find a mate, convey messages about any feeder, warn about predators, or defend their territories.
It might be difficult for you to learn about bird language. So, let’s get to know how birds talk to each other.
When Do Birds Communicate?
Birds communicate with each other about basic life essentials such as food, courtship, territory, alarm calls, companion calls, etc. Every chirping you hear from the birds is their way of communicating, some are more vocal than others. The most common form of communication among the birds is known as a call note, which is heard as a chirp in small birds and squawks in larger birds.
These call notes are tailored to communicate about food, threat, predators around, airborne danger, any warning on the ground, calls for a mate, etc. Birds also communicate about claiming or defending territory and identifying a flockmate. They even call out for help or describe the color and shape of the predator around them. Other than sound, they also use movement, chemicals, and changing patterns of the skin to communicate
Difference Between Bird Call vs Bird Song
If you listen carefully, you can understand that there is a difference between a bird’s call and a bird’s song. There is an audible difference that makes these two sounds different. If you hear a bird’s sound it would be overwhelming for you and you can easily match it with their body language and behavior.
What are the Visual Ways of Communicating Among Birds?
The visual ways of communicating among birds are – tail flipping, chasing and hiding, rubbing the beak against the branches, waving the wings, head bobbing, etc. Repetitive body motions are done to draw the attention of the other birds nearby. These movements depict the emotional state of the bird, a way of conveying their inner feelings and intentions.
Do All Birds Understand Communication?
Yes, most of the bird species have a variety of calls to communicate with each other and other species can also join them to share or take information. However, there are also professionally trained birds who mimic human voices to convey their feelings and these are understood only by the birds who know how to mimic.
