Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits

audubon.org 09 Aug '17, 4pm

Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits

It's a scene that regularly plays out in the woodlands of Japan and eastern Russia, where the birds call home, and the rapid mobilization is the result of their impeccable communication skills. When danger like the marten is spotted, a flock member voices a "mobbing call"—a combination of chirps called an “alert-recruitment” sequence—to rally the troops, explains Toshitaka Suzuki, a postdoctoral expert on animal communication at Kyoto University’s Center for Ecological Research. While observing these sociable birds in the wild, Suzuki noticed that they always respond to this sequence of calls, along with the two-part calls of their close cousin, the Willow Tit. So, he ventured that Japanese Tits may rely on a rudimentary form of grammar to relay messages and provoke actions.

Full article: http://www.audubon.org/news/good-grammar-matter-life-or-d...

Tweets

@andrewdelcolle » 28 Aug '17, 6pm
@HanSolex @Noonz These don't have anything on Japanese Tits. [link] And if you really love boobies… [link]
@BirdsofVermont » 26 Aug '17, 3pm
Some birds have a sort of grammar, which other species might respond to—and changing that "word" order matters. [link]
@kagorsa » 18 Aug '17, 12pm
RT @BirdLifeEurope: Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits [link] [link]
@BirdLifeEurope » 18 Aug '17, 12pm
Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits [link] [link]
@Brigit_Maddie » 14 Aug '17, 6pm
RT @JOppenheimerInc: Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits [link] [link]
@JOppenheimerInc » 14 Aug '17, 5pm
Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits [link] [link]
@audubonsociety » 11 Aug '17, 4pm
Good grammar is a matter of life or death for chatty Japanese Tits. [link] [link]
@cbsturdy » 11 Aug '17, 12am
RT @CognitiveEcol: Our own Carry Branch commented... [link]
@CognitiveEcol » 11 Aug '17, 12am
Our own Carry Branch commented... [link]
@ManulazaManuel » 10 Aug '17, 12pm
RT @MariaMercromina: Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits [link] vía @audubonsociety
@MariaMercromina » 10 Aug '17, 11am
Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits [link] vía @audubonsociety
@patsdailymuse » 09 Aug '17, 11pm
Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits | Audubon - [link]
@andrewdelcolle » 09 Aug '17, 9pm
In other not terrible news, birds speak in sentences, and that's nifty. (Def going for those accidental SEO hits.) [link]
@liopleurodonic » 09 Aug '17, 9pm
You: if you were a bird, you'd be a Japanese Tit, bc they use grammar! Me, an intellectual: haha, you said tit. [link]
@guenterhack » 09 Aug '17, 8pm
RT @audubonsociety: Good grammar is a matter of life or death for chatty Japanese Tits. [link] @RashmiShivni [link]…
@audubonsociety » 09 Aug '17, 8pm
Good grammar is a matter of life or death for chatty Japanese Tits. [link] @RashmiShivni [link]
@LaurelMtnPost » 09 Aug '17, 6pm
Good Grammar Is a Matter of Life or Death for Japanese Tits [link]
@RashmiShivni » 09 Aug '17, 5pm
My latest on the grammatically correct "bird calls" of the wild. No seriously, there's logic behind every chirp! [link]
@jmooallem » 09 Aug '17, 4pm
Amazingly their utterances are reminiscent of something President Truman once said. [link]
@NicoSGonzalez » 09 Aug '17, 4pm
Well, here's an @audubonsociety story that will definitely show up in some weird searches [link]
@SpearinCharles » 09 Aug '17, 8pm
RT @audubonsociety: Good grammar is a matter of life or death for chatty Japanese Tits. [link] @RashmiShivni [link]…
@MyFrogCroaked » 09 Aug '17, 8pm
RT @audubonsociety: Good grammar is a matter of life or death for chatty Japanese Tits. [link] @RashmiShivni [link]…