By the end of the month golden eagles will be filtering back to their northern breeding areas and snow buntings, our first song birds for the season will have arrived. For me, the most jubilant seasonal addition to our surroundings will be the increase in bird song that will abundantly bless our woods, particularly from late April to mid-June. The animal kingdom has developed many ways of transmitting messages, but sound is a particularly useful form of communication. Sound travels well in most of the habitats in which birds live and is a much better method of communication in habitats such as woodland than any other type. Consequently, it is not surprising that birds use sound as one of their most important forms of language.
Birds tend to have ears that detect the same kinds of sounds as man.
They hear, and of course communicate, over a similar range of wavelengths as man. They make their calls within the range that is perceptible to humans and we thus appreciate their songs. The voice of birds, although produced from a slightly different structure to that of man, has many resemblances as well. The ability of some species of birds, such as mynahs and parrots, to mimic man's voice shows that they can produce sounds closely similar to those that we make. Another important feature of the voice, and hearing, of birds is the speed with which a message can be transmitted and received.