Birds of Similar Flocks Know Similar Sounds
By: Lance Winslow
Having traveled around the nation and the world I have noticed that birds in certain regions tend to know similar songs or birdcalls. In fact birds of different species seem to know many of the same sounds and calls. This would lead one to surmise that the birds are communicating with other birds, which are of a totally different breed. But the story does not stop there. Recently I was in an industrial area near a wildlife area and the birds had picked up sounds of forklifts backing up; “ding, ding, ding” as well. Then on the West Coast in Washington State near a lumber mill the birds made calls similar to the; “getting off work” whistle. What is interesting about that you ask? Well, the lumber mill has been closed for 11 years now. Even more interesting across the river in Oregon, where there is no lumber mill the birds also use this sound. Recently in Virginia at a rest stop along the highway the birds made a funny sound, I could not figure out what it was. Then an ambulance drove by and the birds started making that sound again, although it was not perfect it was definitely the sound of an ambulance; “Rrrrrr, Rrrrrr, Rrrrr.”
We all know that parrots will learn words and songs that humans sing and even communicate with us. Are these birds trying to communicate with life outside the bird kingdom? Are they trying to tell us something but we are too stupid to figure out they are trying to communicate with us, all the while we call them “Bird Brains” in a slanderous tone? Perhaps birds are smarter than we think after all. Perhaps we might wish to reconsider what sets humans apart from other life forms and re-adjust our perception of intelligent life forms as we explore the solar system in search of life and beyond? Surely there is life out there and most likely intelligent life. We may not be able to describe it, but will we really know it when we see it? Hear it? Think on it.
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