While watching these birds, I noticed a lot of short calls and very few songs. I think this is because they were trying to communicate that there was a food source (the bird feeder on the tree in front of my house). Each sound that a bird makes means something different, but I am curious is birds can recognize the meanings of sounds from other species. Or is it like hearing a different language all together?
As for the plumages of the birds, I compared the Dark-eyed Junco and the Northern Cardinal that I saw. These birds have very different plumages. The Northern Cardinal (male) having bright red feathers while the Dark-eyed Junco having a dark grey above and a cream belly area. I would assume that the colors that stand out less (on the Dark-eyed Junco) give them the benefit of blending in and hiding while the bright colors (on the Northern Cardinal) make it stand out and maybe are even a warning sign to predators (like how colorful frogs are usually the poisonous ones).

One behavior that I observed that I thought was interesting was that the male Northern Cardinal that I saw was sitting on a branch (and remained there for quite a while) while the female Northern Cardinal was at the bird feeder eating. I know that Northern Cardinals form monogamous pairs, so I am assuming that those two were a pair. Thinking back to the last time I went birding before this, I remember seeing a female Northern Cardinal sitting on a branch for a long time. For that field journal assignment, I assumed it was doing that to conserve energy. I wonder if the male Northern Cardinal I saw this time was also doing that in addition to maybe keeping a look out while his mate was eating. Maybe they even take turns. I bet this behavior changes as it starts to warm up.
For the mini activity, when I repeatedly made the “pssssh” sound, a few Black-capped Chickadees flew closer to me. I think “spishing” attracts birds because maybe it is a sound that birds are not familiar with so they want to investigate what could be making that sound. But if this is the case, then shouldn’t any unfamiliar sound attract birds? So it must be a sound that the birds are familiar with. Maybe the “psssh” sound sounds like another bird call. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bird make a sound that is similar to “spishing,” but maybe I’m not listening hard enough. I think the specific “psssh” sound works because best imitates an actual bird call. Whatever the reason is, I felt really silly making those sounds.

Posted on March 19, 2023 04:28 PM by ajberkow