Current Nature: The Secret Language of Birdsong on Nantucket

Birdsong is arguably one of the most accessible, iconic, and impressive sounds in nature. Whether you are relaxing in your backyard, strolling through the busy streets of downtown, swimming at the beach, or even driving to work; if you listen, you’ll hear the birds singing. I often find myself wondering, what are the birds saying? Are they gossiping about the latest drama? Are they chatting about where to find the best food? Are they calling their mates, their children, their friends? Are there meanings to their calls at all, or do they just like to sing? The answer to this is not a simple one, but in short, birds are definitely utilizing their songs to communicate with one another. Analyzing birdsong has allowed us to realize that birds have language, dialects, and the ability to learn!

While the most recent common ancestor of birds and humans did not have the ability to verbally communicate, humans and birds have independently developed the ability to do so. Understanding how birds have developed the ability to converse may shed some light on how language evolved at all, a mystery scientists are still teasing apart. Three critical components of being able to communicate using spoken word, or chirp, are language development (the process of learning the language), understanding the meaning behind what's being said, and lastly, the differences in language depending on where you are from (think of different dialects, accents, and inflections). With that in mind, let's explore some birds that highlight these components, which you can witness right here on Nantucket!

Learning a language is by no means an easy feat, it takes many months for children to begin to babble, sometimes more than a full year passes before we can produce clear words, even longer for complete sentences. On the other hand, some species of birds have been documented to begin chirping while still inside the egg! Most chicks begin learning and replicating the songs of their parents within their first two weeks of life. By the time they fledge, or leave the nest, they are equipped with a few songs and will continue to master their repertoire as they get older. However, some birds are better at learning and producing new songs than others, such as the Gray Catbird. Related to the Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbirds have the ability to make a wide array of calls, from their distinctive “mew” that got them their name, to intricate songs that can last ten minutes! Gray catbirds can learn upwards of 100 syllables, acquiring more songs as they mature, they can mimic other birdsong, frog calls, they can even replicate manmade and machinery sounds. Gray catbirds are a perfect example of how the process of language learning is continuous and is not only found in humans. So, next time you hear the distinctive “mew” of a Gray Catbird, listen a little longer to see if you can catch one of their impressive songs.

The second critical component of language is understanding the meaning of what is being communicated. Just like how we have specific phrases that mean certain things, the same can be said of birdsong. For example, the call of a Northern cardinal is quite distinctive, sounding a bit like a car alarm or video game laser! This distinctive call has an important meaning, male cardinals will sing this song to attract a mate. When a female cardinal is impressed by his call, she will choose him as a mate, and he can pass on his genes, which is nature’s ultimate reward! Other distinctive calls with clear meanings include a soft chipping noise. Cardinal families will sing this short soft chip noise to communicate their location, which allows them to keep hidden from predators while staying close to their family. Additionally, cardinals will make a soft “bip, bip, bip” call to indicate they or their children are hungry. Essentially saying “bring us food!” Birdsong serves as a means of communication not only within a single species, but also between different species of birds. Just like humans can recognize that certain sounds have specific meanings. For example, as humans, we know that the “brrring, brrring” of our telephone means we should pick up our phone and say hello. For birds, the most common instance of this is defensive calls, while different species of birds may not speak the same language, they can understand that certain calls simply mean “stay away, this is my territory, get out!”

The last component of communicating is the variations in language depending on geographic locations such as different dialects, accents, and inflections. It’s fascinating that this trait can also be found in birds! The Black-capped Chickadee has a very distinctive call that can be heard all throughout North America: one high tone followed by one or two low tones. This call is consistent among all populations of Black-capped Chickadees, but researchers have recently found that Black-capped Chickadees on Cape Cod may be developing a dialect of their own! Being separated from the mainland population, these Chickadees are beginning to sing different variations of their characteristic two-note call. For example, the Chickadees on Martha’s Vineyard are singing the same high note twice, with no change in tone. More interestingly, the Chickadee population on Tuckernuck Island, right off the coast of Nantucket, are beginning to sing the characteristic two-tone call with two high tones, followed by one low tone. These Chickadees provide a perfect example of how, just like human language, birdsong can and does change over time, and how different populations of the same bird species can have different dialects, intonations, and different songs completely. If you ever find yourself on Martha's Vineyard or Tuckernuck Island try to listen for these new Chickadee songs for yourself!

All of this is to say that language is not unique to only humans. Accepting this fact may help us understand how language developed in the first place. It can help connect us to nature in a more sincere and understanding way, and allow us to respect birds for the curious and intelligent creatures they are. If you are interested in learning more about birdsong or recognizing birds by their calls alone, I urge you to download the mobile app Merlin Bird ID, created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. By using your phone, this app allows you to instantly identify birds you see or hear with a touch of a button. Next time you step outside, don’t hesitate to stop and listen to the sounds around you. Perhaps you will hear a Northern Cardinal saying it's hungry, or a Gray Catbird performing a lovely tune to impress a mate, or maybe you will hear the local dialect of a Black-Capped Chickadee. No matter the bird, and no matter the song, these birds are speaking just as we do. Perhaps one day we will be able to truly understand and join in their music. For now, all we can do is sit back, relax, and enjoy their songs.

Stay tuned for more editions of Current Nature, a bi-weekly column featuring seasonal topics, natural history information, and advice on the outdoors from the staff at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation.