Yes, recent research has shown that birds can communicate with each other after finding feeders. They do have excellent eyesight which helps them to locate food sources from a greater distance and they communicate through various forms, like contact calls.
Other than communicating about the location of food, they also inform their flockmates about scattered seeds on the grounds, high-quality bird seeds, or a safe spot to hide from threats or predators.
So, let’s get to know how birds communicate about new-found bird feeders or food sources.
How Do Birds Communicate?
There are different ways through which a bird can communicate with their flockmates:
Use the Eyes
Birds are known for having excellent eyesight as they can spot threats or food sources from a great distance. Birds are also known for their foraging behavior while looking out for food, so they need to scan the surroundings and for this, they use their vision. The birds that live in flocks are also seen to send out one bird as a messenger to investigate the food available in the surroundings.
They can easily spot seeds scattered on the ground and prefer to create a trail to detect the food for the next day. This trail of food can be easily discovered by the birds using their excellent visibility. Mostly ground-feeding birds are attracted to the scattered seed on the grounds and high-flying birds usually seek out bird feeders.
Use of Smell
There is no proven fact that birds rely on this smelling sense to detect food but it has been seen in vultures that while they are preying on their food, they can detect dead animals or carcasses from a greater distance. However, they mostly rely on vision rather than their olfactory glands.
Can Birds Remember The Food Source?
Yes, birds have good memories which help them to track the food they have found previously. Also, they spend too much time searching for food which helps them to detect any change in landscape or any sign of food in the surroundings. They can also detect and remember the location of a bird feeder.
How Do Birds Communicate About The Newfound Food Source?
Birds have various ways of communicating with the same species, flockmates, or birds of different species. The most relevant communication made by a bird after finding food is in the form of:
Contact Calls
These are heard when a bird is foraging for food and makes certain noises or sounds to allow other birds to know about the presence of food. Usually, these are short simple vocalizations and the extent of noise depends on the bird species. It is also known that birds make contact calls to maintain social bonding and help other flockmates coordinate and move toward the food sources
Communication Through Behavior
When a bird locates a food source it is seen that they exhibit certain behaviors to communicate with the other bird in the flock. Also, if the food has been found by other species of birds or another flock of birds, then birds show aggression or territorial display. Now, this is an indication that there is a food source nearby.
How Can a Bird Find a Bird Feeder Easily?
When you are placing a bird feeder in your backyard, you would want to find it easily. So, here are the guidelines that you need to follow
Placement of the Feeder
You need to place the feeder in a safe and visible spot so that the birds can track it from a great distance. You need to keep the feeder around a tree or shrub, where the bird can easily perch and not feel threatened by any predator.
Scattering the Seed on the Ground
If the bird is a ground feeder then it can easily detect the scattered seeds on the ground. Also, you can create a trail of seeds for the birds to find the bird feeder. However, mostly scattered seeds attract sparrows and towhees
Use High-Quality Bird Seeds
If the birds discover your bird feeder then they might return to meet their daily food requirement. Thus, you need to use fresh, nutritious, and high-quality bird seeds, so that birds keep coming back and do not avoid the bird feeder. Avoid spoiled or smelly bird seeds as they can make the birds ill.
Including a New Bird Feeder
If you are including a new bird feeder, then keep it close to the previous feeders, so that birds can easily track the new change. Also, birds have a good memory, so they remember the location of the previous federer and this increases the chance of them discovering the new one easily. But, you need to keep patience as often, it can take either 2 days or 2 weeks or even more.
What Happens If an Uninvited Bird Comes to the Bird Feeder?
If any uninvited bird comes for the food, then they may turn up fighting over the food. Also, both would vocalize threat calls to their flockmates or other birds, asking to defend them or protect the food sources
