How to Decode the Secret Language of Birds

A little bird once told me…well, a lot. That twittering song isn’t just the sound of relaxation, a sign of spring, or nature’s alarm clock. It’s a language that can convey valuable information to the trained ear—even when that ear belongs to a human.

With each real-world chirp, cheep, and melody, the bird is sending a potent message. It might be a male’s love poem, designed to woo a comely female, or a show of strength, warning other birds to back off. Often, that seemingly-carefree song serves as an alarm call indicating that a predator is on the prowl—or a human is lumbering down the trail ahead.

For millennia, wild critters have been listening in to these messages. And for good reason. When a robin sees a predator like a coyote, for example, it will sound the alarm—short low- and high-pitched shrieks—and other prey like squirrels will heed that warning.

But rodents aren’t the only mammals to interpret a conversation between birds. For centuries, Native Americans have relied on so-called “bird language” to learn the whereabouts of people and other animals that would otherwise remain invisible to the human eye.

“A lot of indigenous people have been using bird language to know where mega-predators are,” says Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd, co-founder of Queer Nature, who leads courses on bird language. “They are able to decipher how birds communicate and warn each other in the forest.”

Learning bird language isn’t just a strategy once used to survive. According to Heather Durham, a bird language expert at Wilderness Awareness School, it’s also a tool to establish a more intimate and enriching connection with nature.

“To notice and understand these sorts of dramas unfolding all around us at all times makes the world a far more interesting place,” she wrote in an email.

There’s no Rosetta Stone for bird language, but anyone with finely-tuned ears, keen observation skills, and plenty of patience can learn to translate songs into information.

Here’s a beginner’s guide to learning the avian alphabet.

Pick a perch

Start by finding a comfortable place outside—it could be in your backyard, a nearby park, or even in your home by a window. Ideally, you’ll want to settle down in a diverse habitat that’s far from human disturbance, explained Jon Young in the seminal bird-language book What the Robin Knows.

“A spot with a good field of view and a meeting of habitats will yield a higher diversity of birds and animals to observe,” he wrote.

Once you find the right place, stick to it. The more time you spend in one location, the more familiar you’ll become with its inhabitants—which means you won’t have to start from scratch each time you go on a listening trip.

When you arrive at your perch, Durham says, sit still for at least 20 minutes. This gives the animals time to get used to your presence. To get started, she wrote, “Go out, sit down, and pay attention.”

Find common birds with a lot to say

Now that you’re settled, look for common songbirds that forage or nest on the ground. They’re more likely to detect predators on the forest floor and, as a result, have much more to say, according to Young.

Young also recommends that you choose species that stick to the same, small territory year-round. That way, you’ll get to know birds in each season, noting how their behavior and calls change. (Males of many species, for example, exhibit a wider repertoire of calls in spring.)

Of course, not everyone is well-versed in the birds that fit all of these criteria. So Young listed a few birds that make great teaching subjects.

• American robins
• Juncos
• Song sparrows
• Catbirds
• Cardinals
• Red-winged blackbirds

Become familiar with baseline calls

Once you narrow your focus to a species or two—such as a familiar robin or charismatic red cardinal—start paying attention to baseline vocalizations.

According to Young, these sounds fall into broad categories such as “song,” “companion calling,” and “aggression.” Though they won’t tell you much about threats, they’ll help you establish a baseline of birdcall for your area of observation. Eventually, this makes it much easier to detect alarm calls.

Distinguishing song is simple: Listen for rhythmic melodies, like those of the American robin. These are especially easy to pick out in the early morning during spring, when males are performing for prospective mates.

“You can get a clue as to whether a bird has found a mate by how much he’s singing,” says Kenn Kaufman, field editor at Audubon magazine and longtime birder. If you have trouble identifying any particular song, check out a digital bird guide like Audubon’s Guide to North American Birds. These typically feature songs as well as descriptions.

Deciphering companion calls, which mated pairs use to communicate, requires a bit more patience. First, you need to find a couple; Young suggests looking for song sparrows or cardinals. Then listen to how they talk to each other in a series of soft chirps. According to Wilderness Awareness School, you can think of companion calling as akin to murmuring to your spouse over a dinner table.

Similarly, to identify calls of aggression, you can look for a particular behavior, often a territorial display. During breeding season (which happens in spring for most species), keep your eyes peeled for a stand-off: Two male birds, poised at either side of the lawn, flapping their feathers and squawking as if to say, “Back off, this is my land.” They often compete like this because more territory means more resources, such as nesting sites and food.

Learning baseline calls will give you a glimpse into the world of songbirds and all its drama: who’s looking for love, who’s angry with whom, and who’s in a relationship. Once you do, it will be much easier to detect when something is amiss.