
![]() Click to enlarge Bluebirds communicate with one another through the use of sounds and gestures. Songs are given by both sexes, but most often by the male. He uses it to announce his territory and to attract a female. When directed toward other males inside his nesting territory it becomes very aggressive, even to the point of audible bill-snapping. Another important sound for the bluebirds is for alarm or danger. This can consist of a short harsh calls or rapid chattering. At the beginning of nesting season if the male does not have a mate, he will start singing loudly from tree tops. Once he attracts a female he becomes much quieter and then resorts to using gestures. These movements are very interesting to observe, they are called wing-waves. The male will use this gesture by lifting one wing or both in a quick wave like fashion to attract the female attention. You can witness this action of the male on top of his nest box as he tries to convince the female that this is a great place to raise a family. Along with wing waving he is singing softly too. He’s hoping the female will accept his invitation and if she enters the nest box it’s a good sign she did. Also bluebirds can deviate from their normal flight pattern as a way of communication. This is done mostly by the male during territory formation and courtship. In one type of flight display he uses slow long wing beats, in another he flies with a lopsided flight, in another he will hover in front of the nest entrance. All these types of communication help them to organize their lives and to successfully breed and to survive in the wild.
8 Comments
Joc
3/26/2019 03:50:11 pm
Thanks for the article! I was wondering what a male bluebird nearby was doing, flapping one wing at a time, then singing sweetly. I hope he finds a female...
Reply
Ambassador response
8/30/2019 05:48:34 pm
He will find a mate. Thanks for writing.
Reply
Carol Fitz
7/11/2020 05:02:01 pm
I have a bluebird nestbox on my property and today l was glad to see that the babies fledged out of the box. I can hear the babies in the trees now. The parents are doing a lot of wing waving to each other, often sitting close together on the phone wire, chatting with the offspring in between feeding them, and they actually seem happy with their accomplishment.
Reply
Robert Banks
4/25/2021 11:38:43 am
I have a nest box, with a natural peep hole where a knot used to be. I plug it with an old branch, just big enough to cork up the hold but providing a handle outside. Yesterday I noticed a male, then a female, hovering a few seconds in front of the entrance. Later, they did it again. I uncorked the peephole after they were gone (they didn't go inside) and saw there is a nest inside. I looked in to make sure there wasn't a snake or frog inside, preventing their entry. Maybe trying to coax a baby out to fly? IDK if there are any babies, the peephole is now blocked. What gives?
Reply
carol
5/21/2021 06:57:23 pm
Did any babies fledge?
Reply
Shane
5/16/2021 05:54:58 pm
My bluebirds have babies in the bluebird box. At dusk and sometimes in morning the parents talk back and forth loudly to each other across from two different sides of the yard. What are they communicating? Any idea?
Reply
carol
5/21/2021 06:53:25 pm
I think the bluebirds are bonding with their offspring by letting them hear their own vocalizations which I think are different in each bluebird, even though to us they sound like all other bluebirds.
Reply
Helen
12/19/2021 12:45:24 pm
My blues chatter like crazy when the worm trays are empty.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
My Favorite Links Click on Blue Titles Below |