Birds are amazing creatures that can perform all sorts of impressive tricks and behaviors. From parrots that can talk to hummingbirds that can hover in midair, birds have evolved many unique abilities that allow them to thrive in their environments. In this article, we will explore some of the most fascinating tricks that different bird species are capable of doing.
Flight
One of the most incredible things about birds is their ability to fly. Flight allows birds to travel long distances, evade predators, find food, and perform elaborate mating rituals in the air. The aerodynamics of avian flight are complex, but birds are equipped with lightweight bones, powerful breast muscles to flap their wings, and uniquely shaped feathers that provide lift and allow them to soar through the skies. Many species can reach extremely fast speeds and altitudes thanks to physiological adaptations for flight. For example, the peregrine falcon can dive at over 200 miles per hour when hunting prey. Hummingbirds can flap their wings up to 80 times per second and fly backwards, hover in place, and even upside down. In fact, the record for fastest recorded flight by a bird goes to the white-throated needletail, which can reach speeds of over 105 mph in level flight. Truly, the ability of birds to fly allows them to perform gravity-defying tricks that no other animals can do.
Migration
One trick enabled by flight that many birds perform is migrating extremely long distances every year. Migration allows birds to take advantage of favorable resources and weather conditions across different geographic regions throughout the year. Some common North American species like the arctic tern migrate from their arctic breeding grounds all the way down to Antarctica and back each year, covering over 40,000 miles roundtrip! Other champions of migration include bar-tailed godwits and great snipes that fly nonstop transoceanic journeys of over 7,000 miles without rest. Birds are equipped with biological compasses and maps that allow them to navigate to specific sites across the globe with pinpoint precision year after year. Their navigational abilities and endurance in flight are simply astounding.
Mimicry
Many birds, especially parrots, are excellent vocal mimics. They can imitate a wide variety of sounds, including the speech of humans and other animals. Some famous parrots like Alex the African grey parrot had vocabularies of over 100 words. Parrots have vocal learning skills similar to humans, and their tongues and vocal apparatuses are able to precisely reproduce many novel sounds after hearing them only a few times. Mimicry is thought to be an important social skill for coordinating flock behavior and signaling identity among parrots. It provides endless amusement to bird owners as well when their pets start repeating common phrases or household sounds. Other avian mimics include mockingbirds, lyrebirds, and starlings. The mockingbird is renowned for its ability to mimic not only other bird species but also other animals like cats, dogs, and frogs. Displaying such vocal tricks likely helps attract mates and defend territories for these species.
Dancing and Acrobatics
Some birds have evolved elaborate courtship displays that incorporate creative flying, dancing, and even synchronized maneuvers. Prominent examples include birds of paradise, manakins, and grebes. Male birds of paradise flaunt extravagant plumage and perform ritualized dances to impress females. They are capable of jumping between display perches, spreading their feathers into fan shapes, and making bobbing and weaving motions in perfect time. Manakins are renowned for their athleticism and can complete mid-air somersaults and intricate group dances with precision choreography. Many grebes perform spectacular synchronized swimming and diving routines with their mates as part of the breeding process. Who knew birds had the moves and acrobatic skills to rival professional dancers and gymnasts? Their physical tricks are a testament to the flying and athletic prowess that birds command.
Tool Use
While not common, some bird species demonstrate an aptitude for using tools and objects manipulatively in the wild. For example, Egyptian vultures will crack open eggs by dropping rocks onto them. Green herons may lure fish in by using food or objects as bait. Some corvids like crows and jays are known for using pieces of wood or wire to probe into crevices to retrieve food. The most proficient avian tool user is probably the New Caledonian crow, which can spontaneously fashion its own hook-shaped tools from branches and leaves in the wild to help grab invertebrate prey. When provided captivity, they can even bend straight pieces of wire into hooked tools! Scientists think such complex tool use points to an advanced cognitive capacity and understanding of physics for these brainy birds. Tool use provides birds like corvids and parrots with an advantage when getting food in environments where resources are hard to reach or access.
Teamwork
Some highly intelligent and social bird species exhibit an astounding ability to work together towards common goals and display problem-solving skills. Rooks, for example, have been observed completing collaborative tasks like pulling strings together to get a food reward and building ladders together out of sticks to reach previously unavailable food. Harris hawks demonstrate sophisticated cooperative hunting techniques, including establishing roles like “beaters” to scare prey and “blockers” to ambush prey. The coordination and teamwork is especially complex when these raptors hunt in larger groups. Many parrots and corvids also demonstrate advanced social learning skills for coordinating to complete tasks and gain new insights by observing each other. Working together provides advantages for these clever birds that lone individuals would not be capable of achieving on their own.
Play
Scientists recognize that engaging in play behavior is a sign of complex intelligence across many animals. Play serves as practice and training for essential skills. Some birds demonstrate play by manipulating objects, performing acrobatics and playing keep away in midair, sliding down smooth surfaces, and hanging upside down for fun. Parrots and corvids are especially prone to playing, and may incorporate tools and puzzles into their play. For example, Goffin’s cockatoos have figured out how to make and use their own toys in captivity! By studying how birds play, we gain insight into their cognitive abilities and how they experience emotions like joy.
Hygiene
Good hygiene behaviors are important for bird health and survival. Some birds keep themselves tidy through regular preening and dust bathing. Preening involves using the beak to distribute oils across the feathers for protection and care and remove dangerous ectoparasites. Dust bathing lets birds maintain healthy feathers and skin through rolling around in dust, soil, or sand. Bathing in water sources also helps many aquatic and marine bird species like ducks, petrels, and albatross stay waterproof and insulated in cold ocean environments. Strategic sunbathing may even help some bird species mitigate fungal or microbial growth. While it may not seem as complex to us, such grooming and hygienic habits represent complex instincts evolved in birds to combat disease, parasites, and prevent heat loss.
Amazing Examples of Bird Tricks
To highlight some specific impressive examples, here are some astounding bird tricks that really show off how talented our avian friends can be:
Alex the African Grey Parrot
Alex the African grey parrot became famous in the 1970s and 80s for possessing an IQ and language abilities on par with a human toddler. He could identify 50 different types of objects, recognize 7 colors, and understand concepts like bigger/smaller and same/different. His linguistic capabilities were also remarkable—he could combine words creatively and in context to ask questions, provide descriptions, and express desires far beyond other animals. Alex showed that parrots have cognitive potential similar to primates.
Lyrebird Vocalizations
The superb lyrebird of Australia demonstrates unbelievable vocal mimicry skills. With an extremely rare talent even among birds, male lyrebirds incorporate perfect imitations of up to 20 other species into their elaborate courtship songs. They can copy everything from laughing kookaburras to camera shutters flawlessly to attract females. There are even reports of lyrebirds replicating chainsaws, car alarms, gunshots, and construction sounds after hearing them only briefly in the forest.
Carrier Pigeons
Humans have bred carrier or homing pigeons for thousands of years to carry messages over extremely long distances. The birds can travel hundreds of miles back to their home roosts while carrying small parcels or notes. Their incredible navigational skills and endurance allowed them to ferry vital communications before modern long-distance communication technology. During WWII, RAF pigeons in Great Britain flew across the English Channel with crucial messages from resistance forces in France and Belgium.
Goffin’s Cockatoo Tool Creation
In captivity, an Indonesian Goffin’s cockatoo named Figaro spontaneously learned how to fashion tools out of available materials, zero in on problematic areas of his enclosure, and use the tools innovatively to reach otherwise inaccessible items. He crafted splints, rakes, and hooks to retrieve out-of-reach objects or scratch hard-to reach areas. Figaro showed not only tool use but creative tool construction by an animal with no training or prior experience.
Bowerbird Courtship Arenas
Male bowerbirds of Australia and New Guinea construct elaborate display structures called bowers piled high with colorful objects to attract females. Different species create bowers with distinct shapes and designs—some make cone or maypole shaped towers of twigs, while others opt for avenues lined with regular arrays of items. The satin bowerbird even paints the interior walls of his twig avenues with chewed plant matter to make a soothing, gray-blue optical effect. The males incorporate hundreds of colorful fruits, flowers, pebbles, insect casings, glass, plastic, and wire to decorate their bowers in an aesthetic display. Females inspect the bowers and associated performances to choose their mate.
Hummingbird Backwards Hovering
Hummingbirds are the only known birds capable of sustained hovering and backwards flight. Their specialized wings allow them to hover precisely in place in front of flowers while licking nectar at up to 80 wing beats per second. Slow motion footage reveals how they can whir their wings into a blazing figure eight pattern that provides the lift and maneuverability to fly every direction—even backwards. Their mid-air agility is unmatched in the bird world and crucial for accessing flower nectar.
Bird Species | Unique Trick |
---|---|
Peregrine Falcon | Fastest dive speeds up to 242 mph |
Arctic Tern | Longest migration of over 40,000 miles roundtrip |
Lyrebird | Mimics chainsaws, car alarms, and other man-made sounds |
Carrier Pigeons | Homing ability allows them to return letters/messages from over 1000 miles away |
Bowerbirds | Build colorful stick towers and avenues decorated with collections of intriguing objects to attract mates |
Conclusion
Birds possess many natural abilities that enable them to perform unbelievable behaviors and skills that capture our imagination. From impressive feats of flight speed and endurance, to complex vocal mimicry, choreographed dances, physical feats of athleticism, and advanced cognitive capacities, birds provide us with abundant examples of their evolutionary talents. We have only scratched the surface of the many tricks birds can develop thanks to their sophisticated sensory systems, aerodynamic flight capabilities, inclinations to play and mimic, and social lifestyles. Careful scientific observations continue to reveal new behavioral innovations and complexity arising in both captive and wild bird populations. As we gain more insight into avian intelligence and physiology, we will surely uncover even more extraordinary bird abilities that push the boundaries of what humans thought possible for animals. If you pay close attention to the birds around you, you may be surprised at some of the remarkable antics your feathered neighbors can get up to.