Culture

Squirrels Speak Bird

The skittish rodents are always listening for cues that tell them if they’re safe or not—including to the sounds of their avian friends.
Squirrels are what biologist Keith Tarvin calls "public information exploiters".Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

The next time you’re at a park and you see a squirrel standing up and shaking its tail, look up. You might just catch a raptor flying by.

The Eastern grey squirrel is a cautious creature, with its ears constantly perked and monitoring for potential threat—be it the screech of a hawk flying above, the rapid pattering of a eager dog, or the rumbling of a oncoming car.