In the animal kingdom, the ability to make vocalizations that emerge as understandable words occurs within several species of birds. Many of them have great intelligence and can imitate many sounds that they pick up from their environment, even imitating the human voice
Among the best-known birds that have this ability, parrots or parakeets (Psittaciformes) are well known, and can even reproduce complete sentences. However, the ability of ravens (Passeriformes) is often unknown, as these birds can also produce complex and elaborate sounds and vocalizations. Continue reading this article on our site and we will tell you if crows speak and other characteristics of these amazing birds.
The language of ravens (and other birds)
Birds use sounds to communicate and these can be of a great variety depending on the species. But how do they acquire the ability to make them? The first sounds produced by the chicks, in most cases, are soft whistles to attract the attention of their parents and, during their development, as they grow they acquire a repertoire of vocalizations that allows you to manage in your social environment. Many species learn sounds or songs during their vocal development and have a culture of learning and, like humans, this process involves listening to a model sound, memorizing it and practicing ituntil it matches the original sound.
The syrinx is present only in birds and, like the vocal cords in humans, is the vocal organ that produces the sound in these animals. It is a cartilaginous expansion covered by muscles and is located at the lower end of the trachea where it branches into two bronchi before entering the lungs. The syrinx is formed by modifications of the tracheal rings, the bronchial semi-rings, or a combination of both. The sounds are produced by vibration produced by the air passing through the walls of this organ and in some species, such as the raven, these vibrations allow them to reproduce even the human voiceand, in the case of songbirds, this organ is more developed.
In addition, one of the most striking sounds of these birds is when the ravens squawk. If you want to know more, we encourage you to read this other article on our site about Why Crows Caw.
Can crows talk?
The answer to this question is no, crows (family Corvidae) cannot speak, but like other members of the family, can imitate the sounds of their environment, and although they do not have the ability to speak like humans, they can also can imitate their voice This is particularly true in the great crow (Corvus corax) that has a wide range of vocalizations. These vocalizations are produced by the syrinx, which is the vocal organ of birds and is located between the trachea and the two primary bronchi. It is made up of several muscles and, in the case of crows, they have several pairs of these muscles which allows them to have a large repertoire.
Other species of crow, such as the New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides), has been studied and it is known that it can imitate not only the human voice, but various anthropogenic sounds such aslaughter and sneezes , thanks to the fact that the individuals studied interacted with the researchers and had the sounds produced by them as a reference. These birds also have a intelligence superior to that of other species or groups of birds, and they are capable of memorizing, solving problems, planning a task (ability once thought to be limited to primates) and use and make different tools that allow them to access food.
Other birds that can mimic voices and sounds
As we mentioned, the syrinx is the organ that allows birds to sing and make other sounds. These vocalizations have a wide range of functions that range from recognition of conspecifics, whether a couple or offspring, alert or escape, intervenes during the reproductive season, among others. In addition to this, there are several groups of birds that have the ability to imitate words and repeat them, such as the following:
- Parrots: some of the best known are the parrots (order Psittaciformes) which can have a vocabulary of more than a thousand words.
- Gracula religiosa and lyrebird: Another bird known for imitating the human voice is that of the genus Gracula (Passeriformes), as well as the lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), which are capable of reproducing a wide variety of sounds from their environment, from car alarms, forest machinery, to the voices of people conversing.
- Common starling: On the other hand, other species such as the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) are known for having very elaborate songs in their which include songs copied from other species of birds and also other sounds, both natural and artificial.
- Magpies: Magpies, such as Pica pica, like the other corvids, as already mentioned, are extremely intelligent and able to repeat words and recognize people.
Now that you know that ravens do not speak, but rather imitate sounds, you may also be interested in this other article on our site about Birds that sing at night.
