Most of us have felt that birds are communicating each other somehow.
This guy is revealing words and syntax of some birds by the long observation of Japanese tits.(click below and enter youtube, sorry it’s in Japanese)
In this video,Japanese tits’ words like “hawk” “crow” “snake"are shown.In addition, he explains how to prove that “snake” sound stands for a snake itself ,but not for “look down” by pulling up the snake-like stick during recorded sound"snake” was played.11/12 of tits were coming near within 1 meter to check out this snake-like stick. But when the word "gather"was played, very few 2/12 showed the same reaction.Next experiment was about the word order.He placed a taxidermy of a shrike,the predator of tits, on a branch and played the recorded sound “watch out” “gather”.Tits were gathered and showed a menacing.Then the word order was reversed and played “gather” “watch out”,very few tits reacted.
Japanese great tits spend winter together with willow tits, varied tits,and nuthatch etc,and they understand each other’s words.Japanese tits’ “gather” is “ji ji ji ji ji” and Willow tits’ “GATHER” is different “dhii dhii dhii dhii”.They are seen to gather for the food by other kind’s "gather"signals.Syntax works the same between them and Japanese tits can understand even if the word “gather” is replaced by Willow tits’ “GATHER”.By “watch out” “GATHER”,Japanese tits show the same reaction.They understand other kind’s language just like us…
I could not get the video to load on you tube but listening to the birds communicate can be very important when hiking in the woods around here in S. Oregon. You learn to listen to the jays especially. They will set an alarm call for predators (cougars and bears very possible, or another human!)and it can be an important tool for remembering to pay more attention to your surroundings. Just before I sat down to write this I was checking outside why all the birds were calling alarm, mainly the towhees. At the same time I could not find my young, half grown chickens. I looked around and eventually a large hawk, couldn’t get a good look to identify, flew out of my big tall pecan tree. My chicks were in hiding underneath my backdoor stairs. This is also how I locate my cat if he sneaks out. I listen for the towhee who starts doing an alarm typically in a tree or bush above the cat. Thank you towhee! The hawk could easily take my chicks.
I was taught by my father in law to always listen to the animals, especially birds, when in the woods. It is an important skill to have and you get to see much more!
Atsu:
Maybe Japanese birds are smarter than Canadian birds. I lived in Japan many years ago and one time I went to visit a neighbour where I opened the door and gave the traditional greeting “Gomen kudasai” (ごめんください）which is like saying “Is anyone at home”. A voice within the house answered by saying “Ohairi nasai” (おはいりなさい）which is like saying “Please come in”. I immediately entered the house and shut the door behind me. However all was quiet and dark in the house and after looking around and finding nobody at home, I noticed a Minor bird in a cage in the kitchen. I exited the house very embarrassed as others in the neighbourhood watched me and wondered why I was wondering through empty houses uninvited.
Paul
Thank you for your stories.They were very impressive.
Amy, quite a few number of bears, not as big as yours though,are living in my mountain area and I am very scared of them.So I make the full use of my perceptions especially my ears and nose.A breaking noise of a fallen branch sometimes tells me a bear stands still behind the bush or a big tree watching me…and bird calls…yes I am listening to… with my nose holes wide.
Paul,myna birds I think have good abilities of repeating human dialogs like parrots,and keeping myna birds were popular in Japan many years ago.
I guess people used to teach myna birds some call-and-response those days and the very bird you met was able to respond to your greeting perfectly,right?
Amy, try to click the underlined part of the gray page on which some Japanese words are written.It indicates that you have to go to YouTube site.
It is a NHK(Nippon Housou Kyoukai= Japan Broadcasting Corporation) program site on YouTube and you can see it with no probrem.
Staying with birds but changing the direction slightly, I have noticed that birds use the pitch of their calls to identify individuals, much like the little offsets in a CW pile-up! We have a big population of crows here, and their calls (usually called “caws” but sounding more like a dalek!) come in outbursts, but each individual in the outburst has a slightly different note embedded in the roughness, and as far as I can tell each individual keeps to that pitch throughout its life. I’ve also noticed that when the families of blue tits and great tits fledge and invade my bird feeders they make regular peeping noises, apparently to keep in touch, and again each member of the family has a slightly different pitch. The difference is slight, microtones, spread over a few tones of the scale, but quite definate. Finally, wood pigeons have monotonous little calls, usually six or seven components but with quite diverse rhythms. If one starts a particular rhythm the others start answering with that same rhythm but with slightly different pitches that seem to identify individuals.
Anything to occupy the mind when digging or weeding in the garden!
Brian,
It looks very interesting for them to distinguish different pitches for identification.
People here are great observers and I am very glad to read your stories.
By the way,I went to YouTube to see what the delek is.I saw the drama more than an hour.
Delek reminds me of Hellraiser somehow…
73 Atsu
Atsu,
By all means, give it a try. With a tandem jump, which requires just a short briefing, and a few minutes of training, you can have about a minute of windy weightlessness, and a bird’s perspective. Then after you’re under canopy, you’ll get another view, getting closer to the ground and landing.
I’ll bet you’ll like it! BTW, XYL Kay (KE7BGM) did a tandem and really liked it.
Should add, that when activating, and there’s enough wind, I sometimes see the intelligent and curious desert ravens, just enjoying life by ridge soaring. More often than not, if I give them a good, loud CAAAW, they’ll circle around and check me out!
Wood pigeon’s calls are, I find, much, much more relaxing than the incessant repeated call of the collared dove, which also, at least around here, can only manage to ‘coo’, the letter ‘L’, in morse ode.
Not only do bird calls indicate certain threats and meanings, but a number ofl bird species songs and/or calls vary from area to area. Accents in you wish.
One good example, chaffinches have local accents which can change significantly from county or area to another. This is often enough for any reasonable birdwatcher to know and hear the difference, but if you were inexperienced you would simply think you were listening to a different species. It just makes me wonder how many subtle differences there are in bird calls and song which a human cannot detect but other birds can.
The many wood pigeons I get in my garden in North Yorkshire favour cooing the letters E N repeatedly, with perfect character forming. (In Morse I mean)
David,
Thank you for your story,and sorry for the late reply.
Yes,they seem to understand other species’ calls just like us.
I wish I could understand not only threats but their happy talks as you said.
…Hopefully very near future.
73 Atsu
