Bird Language Basics

   Spring is the best time to listen to the birds. There are nests with offspring chirping for food. It is easy to find hidden bird nests by listening carefully and learning to walk quietly in the woods.

   Listening to birds allows one to become aware of animal activity, to easily observe wildlife and to enhance your senses. By observing bird language you can learn where the deer are laying, if there are foxes or dogs close by and be able to walk in the woods without causing alarm.

   Birds make noises to communicate and it is possible to learn what they are talking about. Patience and observation are all it takes. You don’t have to identify birds in order to understand bird language.   As you get to know the birds, you will be able to understand their language, how they use their body to communicate and how intensely they call to each other. 

There are the five basic calls that a bird will make.

Song

Birds are known to sing to establish territory and to attract a mate. Some birds only sing in the spring during the breeding season, while others sing year round, most frequently at dawn and dusk. A song indicates normal, non agitated behavior.

Companion Call

These calls will be short, single chirping notes. They are generally used between mates or members of a flock to signal each other's whereabouts and to point out food.

Juvenile Begging Calls

Baby birds in a nest will make a commotion as they beg for food. Even after young birds have matured into juveniles, they will often follow the adult birds around while making distressed calls begging for food.  These calls will be constant, annoying chirping sounds.

Bird to Bird Aggression Calls

Birds often compete for territory, mates, and food sources. It is quite common for two individuals of the same species to exchange aggressive call notes back and forth, perform posturing, and even chase one another out of their territory. These calls will be loud and agitated.

Alarm Call

This type of call is used when the bird has identified a potential danger or predator in the area. This can tell us when and where there is an animal hidden on the landscape. As he is making an alarm call, the bird will fly up out of reach to a safe location. The alarm call will be a loud staccato sound.

The sit spot

One of the best ways to learn bird language is to find an outdoor location where you can view birds. This can be in a city park or Coillte forest. Visit the spot frequently for more than a half hour at a time. As you spend time watching, you will begin to recognize the different behaviors in the birds that frequent your area.

For more information go to www.ipna.ie, or call +353.66.948.1944.