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🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

World Listening Day: Sound Knowlege

From Hindustan Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Naturalist Shaheen Shaik explains that listening to forest sounds is therapeutic and linked to an innate human tendency to connect with nature.
  • Wildlife biologist Anand Pendharkar notes that bird sounds facilitate cross-species communication, with sound waves positively affecting plant processes.
  • Understanding animal calls, like those of jungle fowl alerting to tigers, requires decoding nuances in volume, pitch, and repetition, while predators like tigers use soft paws to muffle their approach.

The symphony of the forest, from the chirping of crickets to the calls of jungle fowl, offers a grounding and therapeutic experience, according to naturalists and wildlife biologists.

Listening to the sounds of nature is in our DNA.

— Shaheen ShaikNaturalist Shaheen Shaik explains the innate human connection to natural sounds.

Shaheen Shaik, a naturalist with Pugdundee Safaris, highlights that listening to nature's sounds is deeply ingrained in human behavior. This connection, often described by the 'Biophilia Hypothesis,' suggests an innate drive to seek out nature. Shaik explains that ancestral knowledge recognized bird songs as indicators of safety, signaling the absence of predators.

The music of certain songbirds told our ancestors - at a time when we dwelled in the great outdoors - that we’re safe; that no predators are lurking close by.

— Shaheen ShaikShaik explains the ancestral understanding of bird calls as safety signals.

Anand Pendharkar, CEO of SPROUTS, elaborates on the intricate communication between species. He points to a 2024 study showing that sound waves can positively influence plant functions like photosynthesis and resilience to stress. This interspecies dialogue extends to warnings, as the calls of jungle fowl can alert humans to the presence of tigers.

Bird sounds also allow for cross-species communication, i.e. between birds and plants.

— Anand PendharkarWildlife Biologist Anand Pendharkar discusses interspecies communication.

Decoding these natural alerts requires attention to detail. Shaik notes that the urgency of a jungle fowl's call, marked by frantic, high-pitched sounds, signals imminent danger. Conversely, predators like tigers rely on stealth, using their padded paws to muffle their movements and ambush prey. The forest's soundscape also features mimicry, with drongos imitating other birds' calls for self-preservation.

The calls of the jungle fowl can alert us to a tiger.

— Shaheen ShaikShaik explains how jungle fowl calls can indicate the presence of predators.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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