THE SONGS BIRDS SING

       All bird sounds are not songs but the vocal sounds of birds are classified as such or call notes depending upon their length functions. According to W.H.Thorpe(1956),“A bird’s sounds with relatively simple acoustic structure”. Call-notes express warning anxiety, alarm-greetings and intimidation. The quail, for example, uses a particular note as a gathering call when members of the covey are dispersed. Similarly, the young birds make distinctive food calls when hungry or inadequately fed.    

     

Saunders (1929) defines birds songs as “A vocal performance usually confined to the male and to a definite season of your; that includes courtship and matting”. A song is not necessarily always musical nor as it limited to the male. It has been proved that birds sing mostly to defend their territory or to attract the opposite sex, due to this fact, songs reach their highest pitch during the breeding season.

         

In the entire animal kingdom, antiphonal or duet singing of birds is unique. In birds of many species found in densely tropical forests, the notes of the female and the male some distance apart differ because the two sex’s sing antiphonally. In antiphonal singing, one male sings a few notes to be taken up by the other. For instance, the magpie lark of Australia replies “Pee-o-vit” after the other calls “Te-he”. In certain cases, it is difficult to guess that more than one bird is singing, unless both are in view since they synchronise perfectly. Some birds are wonderful mimics. The shrikes (Laniidae), mocking bird (Mimidae). Parrots (Psit tacidae), hill myna (Gracula relgiouse) and bower bird (Ptilonor–hynchidae) not only sing their own songs but mimic perfectly songs of other species.

The bower bird of Australia is skilled and persistent in imitating the sounds of thunder, the barking of dogs, croaking of frogs, honking of cars, weeping of a child but there are a few sounds 

which they are unable to produce. The rofous backed shrike (Lanius schach) according to late Dr. Salim Ali( earlier in 1961) is the best mimic. It is very quick at learning and with a retentive memory. The harsh sqeals of a frog caught by a snake, yelps of a newly born puppy, the tame grey patridges call prefaced by its human owners whistles, and calls of numerous birds long after many have migrated, are imitated to perfection”. If some time you hear the plaintive “Piu-piu-pee-pee-piu of the pie-crested cuckoo (Clamator Jaccbinus) at a time when the cuckoo has migrated, look for this shrike.

         

According to Dr Salim Ali (1961) the grey-winged black bird (Tardus boulboul) is the most accomplished songster of our country, the Malahar whistling thrush (myiophoneous–hare fildii) and the shama (copeychus malabarious) come next in order. The Malahar whistling thrush, is restless flitting through the trees, feeding at open hill streams. From February to August the male sings a fine musical song. It is partial to the well wooded hill streams of the Western Ghats, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, and is known as the “Whistling school-boy” in the Nilgiris. 

Bird calls are interpreted differently in various languages. A common cockerel may seem to say “Cook-a-doodle-do” to an Englishman but to a German it says ‘Kikerike’ to a Japanese ‘Kookke-kokke’. Every man only hears the phonetic sounds of his own language. The common hawk cuckoo or brain fever bird’s (Calculus varius), loud screaming song gives brain fever to an Englishman whereas Hindi speaking listeners interpret it as “Peekahan”, where is my love? And to the Marathi as “Paos ala…..the rain is coming.           

Many legends are associated with birds and popularly believed by the peasant community. Our national bird the pea-fowl (Pavocristatus) proclaims the coming of the rain by its loud trumpet like screams “minh-aao (come rain) during the monsoon, especially, on cloudy days. To the poor farmer for whom rain makes the difference between starvation and plenty, the peacock’s call represents his innate prayer to the rain-god. Long before its declaration as the national bird it was honoured and protected by the villagers.

         

Tales of grief striken lovers and unfulfilled love have developed in all societies. The great Himalayan barbet (Megalaima virens) has a mournful cry “Peec-oh” “Mee-ch”.  High up on a shady tree owing to the green colour of its plumage and ventriloquil songs it becomes difficult to locate. Legend says that the bird is the reincarnation of a suitor who died of grief after the rejection of his love. He, therefore, keeps repeating “un-nee-ow” “un-nee-ow” injustice, injustice. The Surkhab (Todorna feruginea) famous for its feathers has an unhappy story attached to its voice. In native language the Surkhab or the Brahmini duck is called “Chakwa-chakwi”.

The bird breed in Ladakh or Tibet but in winter migrates to the plains generally to the sand banks of rivers. They live either in pairs or in small groups. Mostly, they feed on vegetable matter, molluscs, fish, aquatic insects and reptiles. The pair, often get separated when engrossed in feeding and call each other. Legend, has it that the Surkhabs have the souls of wandering lovers, doomed to remain in sight and hearing but separated by flowing streams.

         

Bird watching is an enhancing hobby. Made more interesting when we start to interpret songs mythologically and scientifically. Villagers sometimes tell amazing tales about bird calls. There are thousands connected with bird songs. If we record them our literature will be greatly enriched.

(The article, a re-written, write-up published in 1978 by one of the leading national dailies from Delhi once on visit to Ladakh then and  on learning about the songs the birds sing developed interest to work on the project.)same