This is bird note.

Some of us like to talk with our hands.

At one time, scientists thought only primates use their limbs to gesture and

signal to other individuals. More recently, we've learned a number of animals

can point to something to communicate with another member of their species.

But one gesture was thought unique to humans. You might use it when you reach a door at the same time

as someone else.

After you?

No, after you!

Researchers studying birds called Japanese Tits,

relatives of the chickadees and

tit mice in North America. Notice that mates raising chicks together

often fluttered their wings near the entrance of their nestbox. Knowing these birds have complex ways of community. the what the wing fluttering might mean.

After recording hundreds of examples of wing fluttering,

the pattern became clear.

The first bird to wing flutter would politely wait at the nest

entrance while the other one entered. So the wing flutter was a signal, much

like that arm-sweeping gesture that people use to mean after you.

Following this discovery, scientists are paying even closer attention to what birds might be saying with their wings.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.