


Saturday, January 21, 2012

Bird Brain

There is a celebrated free concert available to anyone who lives near trees. Songbirds create a relaxing atmosphere, a symphony of background noise that only nature itself could conduct. The soothing effects are almost immediate; a lower heart beat, a happier disposition, and a smile on your face.

In the winter my yard is quiet, almost too quiet. I’ll find that I tend to turn on music or hum more during those dark months. Perhaps I hum more because I miss the sound of constant summer songs that seem to emanate from the trees themselves? Humans sing to their children, with each other, and to themselves much like birds do. Is there a correlation between the bird’s brain and ours?

Studies of the mockingbird have shown that there could be. Ornithologists have found that mockingbird species living in unpredictable climates, such as a desert, tend have more elaborate songs than those living in more stable climates. Songs are used to attract mates; a mockingbird has the unique ability to create, copy and “make up” variations of songs. It’s believed the female may choose a male based on the differences in his song, interpreting it as a sign of strength and intelligence. This is highly relevant to human behavior because some believe there is a connection between the development of the bird’s brain and our own. Human displays of language, the arts and music might have evolved through a similar process.

As I was considering the social pressures that might have caused the mockingbird to over perform, somehow my “bird brain” made the connection with humans surviving in unpredictable climates, and the artistic outcomes of those experiences. My mind wondered through the planets “hot spots” marveling at Russian painters, Polish pottery, hand painted beads of Ghana, and the woven fabrics of Peru. Just like I would sing to myself more often in the winter, the cultures that live in harsh conditions tend to have a more colorful lifestyle. Different levels of expression, but expression none the less.

﻿When I lived in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona for example, I loved the painted freeways. What an unexpected surprise! Instead of a drab cement grey the corridors are painted pleasant colors of purple, peach, yellow, red and green. I also noticed a breath of life in the talavera pottery, jewelry, traditional clothing, and home decor. Could cultures that developed in unpredictable climates develop a richer more colorful environment? It seems that way.

This summer I view the song birds with a new eye and ear. Is that a flock of Chickadees in the tree or a mariachi band? Either way it’s the sound of life!


  1. Do birds songs change seasonally or over the course of their lives? My 5 month old grandson's coos and giggles when playing peek-a-boo are very open and uncontrolled compared to the polite laughter that we often hear from adults. Life amplifies or weakens, erodes or polishes our songs. Is it the same with birds? My husband, a mirthful sculptor whose own songs have been punctuated with hilarious puns for as long as I can remember, believes that laughing has a powerful effect on the release of endorphins and that a happy, guffawing person is a creative person. Anyone for a good tickle?

  2. A tickle? YES! Laughter sinks down into our marrow, gives us good blood~
    How wonderful to have a life full of song Susanissima!
    You live a rich life because of it, I'm sure.
    Thank you for sharing- and asking some great questions.