Nuthatches seem to understand chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

"Nuthatches appear to have learned to understand a foreign language - chickadee. It's not unusual for one animal to react to the alarm call of another, but nuthatches seem to go beyond that - interpreting the type of alarm and what sort of predator poses a threat. When a chickadee sees a predator, it issues warning call - a soft 'seet' for a flying hawk, owl or falcon, or a loud 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' for a perched predator."


Black-capped Chickadee

Link: Read the entire interesting article at JSOnline

All images © 2007 Mike McDowell