Reflections
By Bonnie Hutchinson
Chicka-dee-dee-dear
Chicka-dee-dee-dear
This just in.
Chickadees can tell when you’re upset.
Really! It’s science.
Since I was a little kid, I’ve loved hearing the sound of a chickadee–“chickadee-dee-dee!” It sounds so cheerful. I was quite old before I learned that the bird I called the “fee-bee bird” was the same kind of bird that said “chickadee-dee-dee.” I liked hearing both sounds–“chickadee-dee-dee” and “fee-bee”–because it sounded like the chickadees were singing stories with their songs.
I imagined the bird was calling for a girl named “Phoebe” who kept not answering. I imagined stories about where Phoebe might have gone, and why, and how she would or would not be reunited with the bird who missed her so much…
As may be obvious, I was a kid who liked to imagine stories. That was much more fun than homework or chores. Okay, back to the science. Chickadees communicate, and not just with each other. You probably already know that the different sounds of chickadees and other birds communicate messages to others of their kind.
There’s more to it than that, based on just-released research at the University of Alberta. According to an item by Anna Junker in the July 11 Edmonton Journal, chickadees can detect levels of arousal (fear or excitement) from the sounds made by others. But not just other chickadees. Other species including humans.
The item quotes Jenna Congdon, a student researcher. “The idea is that some species can understand other species vocalizations. For example, a songbird is able to understand the call of distress of another songbird when they are in the presence of a predator, like an owl or a hawk. Or, for example, if your friend scared you and you screamed. Both of these are high-arousal vocalizations and being able to understand what that sounds like in different species can be very useful.”
Congdon said that chickadees were able to identify high arousal in chickadees, humans and giant pandas.
Pandas? Congdon says, “This is fascinating because a chickadee that has never come across a giant panda before is able to categorize high and low arousal vocalizations.”
One more thing I like about chickadees. You have to appreciate a tiny bird who chooses to stay with us for the winter. Tiny but tough, that’s what chickadees are. They can handle a Canadian winter.
Here’s a little-known fact–at least, I didn’t know it before. During the winter, chickadees can lower their body temperature by as much as 10 to 12 degrees to conserve energy. Not many birds can do this, but chickadees can. It’s called “torpor,” and, though I don’t lower my body temperature, I too have experienced torpor in the winter. You may ask, why is this relevant on a July day? Well, maybe it’s not all that relevant right this very moment. But think ahead.
Next winter, when you’re not enjoying the weather, you can look out at chickadees, possibly scarfing down seeds from your bird feeder. You can listen to chickadees sing songs to each other–or to the ever-missing Phoebe–and you can say, “Easy for you, Chickadee. You can lower your temperature to conserve energy. Not like us humans.”
And if you happen to be upset that day, the chickadee will know and it can sing you a song. Not only that, if a giant panda happens to wander by and be upset, the chickadee will know that too. I have every confidence that a chickadee’s song can cheer up a panda.
There. Doesn’t that bit of trivia uplift your day?
I thought so. Or perhaps it just verifies that I never did outgrow daydreaming about stories instead of doing homework or chores.
***
P.S. To the person who sent the lovely handwritten note in response to the “Better Angels” column on July 2, thank you so much for telling me how it was. Wishing you well getting your iPad connected again!
***
I’d love to hear from you! If you have comments about this column or suggestions for future topics, send a note to Bonnie@BonnieHutchinson.com. I’ll happily reply within one business day.
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Chickadees can tell when you’re upset.
Really! It’s science.
Since I was a little kid, I’ve loved hearing the sound of a chickadee–“chickadee-dee-dee!” It sounds so cheerful. I was quite old before I learned that the bird I called the “fee-bee bird” was the same kind of bird that said “chickadee-dee-dee.” I liked hearing both sounds–“chickadee-dee-dee” and “fee-bee”–because it sounded like the chickadees were singing stories with their songs.
I imagined the bird was calling for a girl named “Phoebe” who kept not answering. I imagined stories about where Phoebe might have gone, and why, and how she would or would not be reunited with the bird who missed her so much…
As may be obvious, I was a kid who liked to imagine stories. That was much more fun than homework or chores. Okay, back to the science. Chickadees communicate, and not just with each other. You probably already know that the different sounds of chickadees and other birds communicate messages to others of their kind.
There’s more to it than that, based on just-released research at the University of Alberta. According to an item by Anna Junker in the July 11 Edmonton Journal, chickadees can detect levels of arousal (fear or excitement) from the sounds made by others. But not just other chickadees. Other species including humans.
The item quotes Jenna Congdon, a student researcher. “The idea is that some species can understand other species vocalizations. For example, a songbird is able to understand the call of distress of another songbird when they are in the presence of a predator, like an owl or a hawk. Or, for example, if your friend scared you and you screamed. Both of these are high-arousal vocalizations and being able to understand what that sounds like in different species can be very useful.”
Congdon said that chickadees were able to identify high arousal in chickadees, humans and giant pandas.
Pandas? Congdon says, “This is fascinating because a chickadee that has never come across a giant panda before is able to categorize high and low arousal vocalizations.”
One more thing I like about chickadees. You have to appreciate a tiny bird who chooses to stay with us for the winter. Tiny but tough, that’s what chickadees are. They can handle a Canadian winter.
Here’s a little-known fact–at least, I didn’t know it before. During the winter, chickadees can lower their body temperature by as much as 10 to 12 degrees to conserve energy. Not many birds can do this, but chickadees can. It’s called “torpor,” and, though I don’t lower my body temperature, I too have experienced torpor in the winter. You may ask, why is this relevant on a July day? Well, maybe it’s not all that relevant right this very moment. But think ahead.
Next winter, when you’re not enjoying the weather, you can look out at chickadees, possibly scarfing down seeds from your bird feeder. You can listen to chickadees sing songs to each other–or to the ever-missing Phoebe–and you can say, “Easy for you, Chickadee. You can lower your temperature to conserve energy. Not like us humans.”
And if you happen to be upset that day, the chickadee will know and it can sing you a song. Not only that, if a giant panda happens to wander by and be upset, the chickadee will know that too. I have every confidence that a chickadee’s song can cheer up a panda.
There. Doesn’t that bit of trivia uplift your day?
I thought so. Or perhaps it just verifies that I never did outgrow daydreaming about stories instead of doing homework or chores.
***
P.S. To the person who sent the lovely handwritten note in response to the “Better Angels” column on July 2, thank you so much for telling me how it was. Wishing you well getting your iPad connected again!
***
I’d love to hear from you! If you have comments about this column or suggestions for future topics, send a note to Bonnie@BonnieHutchinson.com. I’ll happily reply within one business day.
