Do wild-bird's understand other bird's call's?(for example would a blue tit understand a robin's song?)

Answer 1

They will only answer the matingcall of their own type, when another bird does a startled call however, all will resspond and fly to safety.

Answer 2

No body knows at all really. Birds do respond to alarm calls made by other birds, but that is probably just learning by association rather than understanding. By the same way if you keep an aviary bird from young and teach it a different birds call then it will learn it and use it but not understand it as it were.

Young birds simply copy their parents noises and as they age they will add to them, for instance a sedge warbler will learn the songs of birds that it can hear from its nest- such as its parents, reed warbler, blue **** etc. Also these birds migrate to sub-Saharan Africa and will learn the calls of the birds in the countries that they pass through and winter in. They use these calls and songs to attract a mate- these will be different for each bird- as they will have heard different birds, but a female will be attracted to birds using different songs.

This makes me think that it is not about understanding as such just about making a noise that is associated with a certain intent. Such as singing to defend a territory will be loud, forceful and directional, whereas calling due to a predator will be short and sharp.

so there is no evidence for understanding at all.

Answer 3

At least to some degree they can. I frequently observe multi-species communication when some sort of threat exsists. For example, the smaller garden birds will start doing alarm calls to let all the species know when an eagle is flying over. Everyone flies up into the trees and sits silently until the threat is gone.

Answer 4

I think they probably understand other bird's gestures more than their song-eg they would understand if another bird was claiming their territory by using threatening gestures, but they only speak and understand the language of their own species.

Answer 5

Birds only answer there own language, as for finding a mating partner. but are aware of birds call.

Answer 6

yes warning calls etc