This scientist spent 20 years proving birds can talk. Now he's translating them for the world to hear

Can birds talk? Professor Toshitaka Suzuki applied animal linguistics to get a confirmed answer. In a video shared by A Curious Birb, it was revealed that after 20 years of research and understanding, Suzuki was not only able to prove that birds talk but was also able to find translations for the world to comprehend their language. Contrary to Aristotle’s theory that only humans can possess complex speech, as mentioned in the video, the professor’s findings have people remarkably astonished. The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and this marks the first time an animal has been shown to use words.

We know that birds make certain sounds, and that’s probably how they communicate with each other. Parrots have also shown a tendency to repeat and say words, but to figure out what the linguistics is behind the species' language and get further concrete proof was Suzuki's aim. He studied the “Japanese Tit,” a distinctive passerine bird, for 20 years to understand how communication works within their species. He ventured into Mount Asama in Japan to find out why the creatures have several distinctly different types of calls. He soon realized that these calls were not made randomly and were each unique. The video shared footage of the Japanese Tits calling out across different time periods. If listened to intently, differentiation can be quickly spotted in the tones and notes. 

Suzuki built cameras in birdhouses and installed them across the area to dive into the daily lifestyle of the creatures. He soon realized different sounds served different purposes. For instance, he documented a "jar-jar" call when a snake appeared. To test it back, "a taxidermy snake was placed above a nest box for observation, and [Suzuki] confirmed that tits made 'jar-jar' sounds. The bird did not make the same sound with other taxidermy predators, such as hawks," revealed The Mainichi. Suzuki also tried to make a stick resemble a snake using a piece of string, and played the 'jar-jar' sounds on a speaker to see if the Japanese tit would respond. Surprisingly, they did, moving closer to the object to check for a snake. In his two decades of study, Suzuki discovered that birds have emotions and know how to communicate. They also have their linguistics, words, sentences, and order to converse.

Another distinct call Suzuki identified was one they used to call on their buddies to gather into a group. This was done to defeat larger carnivorous birds if ever encountered. Research also backs this finding. A study published in the Nature journal explained that humans have compositional syntax, i.e., they use different words and combinations to communicate based on rules. It was initially unclear whether animals possessed the same abilities. However, the study on the Japanese tit revealed that even birds have different elements called notes that they use and combine to communicate. EurekAlert notes another key point from Suzuki's research, "A small-bird species, the Japanese tit (Parus minor), uses wing movements as a gesture to convey the message 'after you.'"

Though not as detailed and specific as human beings, there is a distinct meaning in their communication, as the experiment recorded. Another study published in the ESJ Journal highlighted that these birds use alarm calls consisting of different notes to alert their fellow species when predators are around. These are composed differently using different notes for vivid messages, and the Japanese Tits can recognize and differentiate the calls to break down what message it is. The professor’s work is to be highly commended. @cyirens5037 wrote, “This is some giga turbo levels of dedication.” @Chokoboh added, “It's true. Many species communicate with each other. We're just too impatient to learn the patterns and find out their meanings.”

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