Displays and Postures
Overview of Displays and Postures as Communication
There is a lot more to bird communication than how a bird sings to attract a mate or the calls it makes in response to threats to a nest site or territory.
Bird body language tells us a great deal about how birds interact, how they react to threatening or hostile situations, and how they position themselves in order to stand the best chance of attracting a mate.
Read on to learn more about how birds use displays to communicate and find out about some of the most common meanings of bird body language.
The Language of Movement
Spend a few moments observing how birds move and interact around each other, and you’ll probably begin to notice a number of common actions, including feather fluffing, tail flicking, wing raising, head bobbing, or crouching.
Each of these movements has a particular significance and can tell us a lot about how a bird is reacting to its environment, any nearby birds, and the presence of any threats or potential dangers to themselves, their young, or their nest site.
Communication is not limited to sounds a bird makes or hears, although this element is vital for birds to convey messages or maintain contact between pairs or flocks. Body language and posturing add another level of context to communication and can leave rivals or potential mates in no doubt of a bird’s intentions or state.
Certain postures are specific to one particular species, while others can be seen across many different bird breeds.
Generally, any behavior that involves raising or puffing out their feathers will signal dominance, in an attempt to appear larger and more intimidating to any rivals, or strong and impressive to a prospective mate.
Flashing of colorful patches on wings or tails is a common method of drawing attention to a bird’s most attractive features, showcasing their suitability as a mate and their strong, appealing genetics.
Pictured: Red-crowned Cranes performing a mating ritual dance.
Understanding Bird Displays
Some birds put on elaborate displays with the sole purpose of drawing attention to themselves and standing out against their environment. Courtship displays are naturally impressive, with the aim of showing off plumage and agility to impress a potential mate. Defensive displays are intended to intimidate threats around a nest. Aggressive displays affirm a claim to a territory or feeding area.
Types of Displays
Courtship
Courtship rituals of birds include some of the most flamboyant displays of the natural world, including mirrored movements and complicated choreography.
In most species, males will take a dominant role, showing off their best moves and most colorful feathers in front of a female, but in some birds, females will also interact, for example, in the graceful water-based pairing of Great Crested Grebes.
Mutual courtship displays are most common in non-passerine birds, which cannot use song to interact, which explains the extra effort needed in visual performance.
Aggression
Aggressive displays, including mobbing, head-bobbing, wing-flapping, and a fanned-out tail, all have the ultimate aim of repelling intruders and intimidating rivals.
By making their own appearance as large and threatening as possible, they stand an improved chance of driving away any unwanted visitors to their territory.
Defence
A clever defense tactic used as a distraction technique against predators is known as a ‘broken wing display’, and is used by many ground-nesting wading birds and plovers.
To divert attention from their nest site, eggs, or young hatchlings, on noticing a predator, adult birds may distance themselves from their nest and feign an injury. Predators will identify them as an easy catch and target them, although the ‘injured’ bird will then suddenly flee at the last minute.
Pictured: A pair of Great-crested Grebes. Courtship rituals of birds include some of the most flamboyant displays of the natural world
The Significance of Displays
When pairs form ahead of the breeding season, the strongest, brightest males are usually the most attractive to females, and those with the most impressive courtship displays will appear to be the most suitable mates. This has led to some displays evolving through time to reach particularly exaggerated or elaborate levels due to a necessity to survive or reproduce.
The vibrant fan-shaped tail of a Peacock deserves a mention, presenting a striking performance that impresses females and shows dominance over rival males.
In times of desperation, for example, when a nest is under attack or young birds may be targeted by predators, birds have evolved with a number of clever displays to survive predation. Natural selection determines which birds survive and which can effectively avoid predation.
During the breeding season, Great Blue Herons are particularly aggressive in defense of their territories, raising their crown feathers, and extending their long necks into an outstretched position to assert their claim to a territory and deter rivals.
Frigatebirds inflate their scarlet throat sacs when threatened, and those with the largest, brightest sacs are the most successful at surviving predator attacks.
Visual courtship displays are particularly prevalent in species that do not use song to interact, including ducks, shorebirds, and waterbirds. Whereas songbirds may engage in a tuneful duet or have their heads turned by an especially tuneful melody, less vocal species rely on alternative methods to impress a mate, such as showing off their brightest plumage.
Pictured: A Great Blue Heron. Great Blue Herons are particularly aggressive in defense of their territories
Decoding Bird Postures
By regularly observing birds in your backyard or at a pond, park, or seashore, it’s possible to begin to familiarize yourself with some of the most common postures and stances across the avian world.
You’ll quickly begin to recognize common patterns and positions and be able to gain valuable insight into what they mean and predict what behaviors or postures may follow.
Keep reading to learn more about how to interpret some of the common bird postures.
Common Postures
A crouching posture is a sign of hostility and anger, and a warning not to approach. It signals an alert bird, ready to defend its territory, and indicates that the bird feels threatened.
An upright stance, with a puffed-out chest and any coloring more visibly displayed than when a bird is at rest, for example, a fluffed-up Robin, is a classic threat posture, with the inflated stature aimed at creating a more intimidating or dominant profile.
Fanned-out wings or tail feathers can also signal a bird is feeling threatened and wishes to convey a clear message that it will not tolerate any approaches.
Owls may adopt this posture on the ground, spreading their wings as wide as possible and hunching in order to appear bigger and more dominant than they actually are.
Pictured: A Burrowing Owl. Fanned-out wings or tail feathers can signal a bird is feeling threatened and wishes to convey a clear message that it will not tolerate any approaches
Posture Variations Across Species
The ways in which a bird moves or stands communicate important information to other birds around it, both of the same species and to different breeds it lives alongside or encounters while feeding or hunting.
Crouching postures are regularly used in situations where a bird feels under threat and is keen to assert a claim to a territory without physically attacking an intruder.
Tufted Titmice assume an almost horizontal position on the ground or a branch and lunge toward their rivals with their bills open and tails fanned.
Similar behaviors are used by House Finches. However, for some species, particularly shorebirds and some smaller passerines, a crouching pose indicates withdrawing to avoid confrontation.
Head-bobbing can be a threatening posture, commonly used to warn off intruders or to signal an impending attack. Canada Geese will often precede an attack with a rapid bout of head pumping. In contrast, in ducks, head bobbing may form part of a courtship ritual.
Fluffed feathers are used to indicate dominance and to swell size, and may form part of either a courtship attempt or a territorial display.
Being larger than a rival has the dual benefit of successfully securing a feeding ground or nesting site, as well as being rated as a superior choice by females seeking a mate.
Gray Catbirds are known to dramatically inflate their size, with puffed-out feathers when marking the boundary of their territory. Raised wings add to the illusion. Mourning Doves and Mockingbirds fluff their feathers to attract a mate.
Pictured: A Canada Goose spreading his wings to show dominance
Observing Displays and Postures in the Wild
Even from a distance, it’s possible to observe the natural behavior of birds in the wild and become increasingly aware of what different postures mean.
From one of nature’s most elaborate courtship displays – the graceful, mirrored choreography of Great Crested Grebe pairs – to the frequent tail-wagging seen in Phoebes, Wagtails, and Pipits, the way birds move their bodies and the reactions these postures provoke in other nearby birds is fascinating to observe.
Keep reading to learn more about what to look out for.
Birdwatching Tips
Pausing in a sit spot for an extended period of time allows nature to become accustomed to your presence and carry on as normal once it’s clear that you are not a threat (or any nearby wildlife has forgotten that you’re there at all). This may take around 15 to 20 minutes, so some patience and focus is required. Binoculars allow birdwatchers to zoom in and watch birds as they interact.
Observing patterns in bird behavior and posturing opens up our understanding of interactions between birds, helping us to learn when they are hungry, alert, content, tired, stressed, looking for a mate, or feeling under threat.
Rather than solely relying on hearing vocalizations, by watching out for subtle movements, e.g. how they position themselves in the presence of rivals or potential mates, it is possible to detect earlier cues about how a situation may develop.
Pictured: An Eastern Phoebe. This species is known to frequently wag their tails down and up when perching
Documenting Your Observations
Journaling and sketchbooks are a great way to record your observations in the field, capturing exactly what you’ve seen and noting down any particularly memorable features or movements.
Even if you don’t feel you’re one of life’s most talented artists, a rough outline of how the bird was standing or holding itself will be useful as a reference.
Logging the time of day and location adds important context to your sightings, and making a note of light and weather conditions is also recommended.
Sharing your observations online with other bird enthusiasts will help you to broaden your knowledge and gain interpretations and insights from other, sometimes more experienced, birdwatchers or local birdwatching groups that may be able to offer advice and tips on interpreting what different bird poses and movements mean.
Pictured: A pair of Western Grebes performing a ritual dance
Summary
Studying a bird’s body language adds valuable understanding of a number of aspects of bird behavior, including courtship, nest defense or keeping rival birds away from a territory.
While vocal communication is important, it cannot show us a complete picture of how birds interact with each other. By examining how birds react in the presence of predators or potential mates, we’re able to get a deeper insight into avian non-vocal communication behaviors.
Watching how birds react to the arrival of a threat or a rival on their territory unlocks a fascinating insight into how social hierarchies work in the bird world.
Observing a well-orchestrated courtship dance not only offers birdwatchers a highly memorable visual experience, but also a chance to learn more about the background to pair formation and annual breeding cycles.