Birds use body movements, posture, sound, and their colors and patterns to communicate with each other and with other animals. Such displays may be used to attract and communicate with mates, to confront rivals, to turn away intruders, confront predators, or to express a dominant or submissive social status.

A female Killdeer will drag its wing along the ground, pretending to have a broken wing to draw a predator's attention away from its eggs or chicks.

Predators menacing the owl or its nest are treated to a threatening pose - the spread wings and fluffed body increase the owl's apparent size. Many animals try to make themselves look bigger to scare off attackers.

Have you ever seen crows or other small birds chase and dive? This behavior, where individuals or a group of birds harass larger predators, is known as mobbing. Birds as small as hummingbirds may mob birds as large as eagles! Scientists believe that continued mobbing "persuades" predators to leave, making the territories of the mobbing birds safer.

Unlike many animals, birds can distinguish colors. Birds use colors and patterns to communicate with each other. These may send messages of aggression, attraction, or alarm. Birds can recognize members of their own species by their color patterns, just like uniforms identify sports teams. Many species attract mates or defend territories with the help of flamboyant advertising plumage. The parent (or parents) with the major responsibility for tending the eggs and the young usually lacks these bright colors. They wouldn't want to attract attention of predators to their eggs or young birds.

Select this text if you would like to learn how feathers get their colors.

Classroom Activity: Flashy Flyers