Do you love waking up with birdsong in spring, too? Then you surely have been wondering why birds whistle. What do they tell each other? In what way? And what are other methods of bird communication?
First of all: not all twittering is created equal. We have to make a distinction between numerous cries and birdsong (not literally 'singing'; birds make the air vibrate with membranes).
Birdsong and calling
Birdsong can particularly be heard in spring, before and during the breeding season. The males want to use it to mark and defend their territory, and to attract a female. You can recognise the bird species by its song, such as the green woodpecker's or the chiffchaff's, which keeps on repeating its name.
Birds also utter short cries. A birdcall, for example, is also used to call other birds of the same species and sometimes to defend the territory. Birds use an alarm call to warn other birds for impending danger. These are usually short, thin sounds that are difficult for predators to trace. Listen to this alarming wren.
not all twittering is created equal. We have to make a distinction between numerous cries and birdsong
Birds living in flocks use contact calls, to strengthen the bonds between young, partners and other birds of the same species. Migratory birds call out to each other to keep the right distance during flight. Just think of the sound of geese flying in the sky.
And then we are almost forgetting the begging calls. That is the generally known cry of hungry nestlings. But it is possible that the female also uses this call, to strengthen the pair bond with the male and to ask him for food, just like the little ones.
What are other methods of bird communication?
Birds also talk with their behaviour, for example to keep attackers or their kind away. Just think of geese that assume a threat position (head up, neck narrow and long). Or a great crested grebe that makes itself big, by ruffling up its feathers, when an attacker gets too close to the nest.
Several birds also communicate with their beautiful, eye-catching colours, to impress females. The females do not have bright colours, because that way they would be too vulnerable during breeding...
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