Body Language Birds use body movements, posture, sound , and their colors and patterns to communicate with each other and with other animals. Such displays may be used to attract and communicate with mates , to confront rivals, to turn away intruders, confront predators, or to express a dominant or submissive social status. A female Killdeer will drag its wing along the ground, pretending to have a broken wing to draw a predator's attention away from its eggs or chicks.
Many animals try to make themselves look bigger to scare off attackers.
This behavior, where individuals or a group of birds harass larger predators, is known as mobbing. Unlike many animals, birds can distinguish colors. Birds use colors and patterns to communicate with each other. These may send messages of aggression, attraction, or alarm. Birds can recognize members of their own species by their color patterns, just like uniforms identify sports teams.