• Question: do all birds share a language?

    Asked by titan hello kitty to Rupert, Carrie on 14 Mar 2017. This question was also asked by SofiaS.05.
    • Photo: Rupert Marshall

      Rupert Marshall answered on 14 Mar 2017:

      That’s a really good question. The answer is yes, sort of. Songs and calls aren’t the same as human language but they do have a purpose.

      Most birds have very similar alarm calls. A threat to one species is probably a threat to another. When a blackbird gives an alarm call and flies off, so will lots of other species – none of them want to become lunch for a cat.

      Songs are different for each species. Songs can be used to attract a mate and defend a territory. It’s important to attract the right species! And it’s also important not to waste time fighting off birds of different species which aren’t a threat. So birds recognise and usually only respond to their own species’ song.

    • Photo: Carrie Ijichi

      Carrie Ijichi answered on 17 Mar 2017:

      Ruperts the expert on that one but some species do have different “languages”. So orcas from different parts of the world can’t really understand each other because they use different vocalisation unique to their area

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