Pigeons Sound the Alarm with Whistling Feathers

By Charles Choi
Nov 9, 2017 6:00 PMNov 19, 2019 2:15 AM
crested pigeon
A crested pigeon in flight. (Credit: Geoffery Dabb)

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When the crested pigeon of Australia flees potential foes, it can raise an alarm — not by calling out vocally, but with whistling feathers in its wings. These new findings may be the first proof of an idea Darwin proposed nearly 150 years ago suggesting that birds could use feathers as musical instruments for communication.

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