Researchers from the University of Tokyo have found that Japanese tits communicate using wing fluttering as a symbolic gesture.

The study, featured in Current Biology, notes that these birds also exhibit compositional syntax in their calls, showcasing advanced communication skills.

Observations were made on eight pairs of Japanese tits, with the gesture more common among females and not linked to arrival order.

Further research is anticipated to explore the combination of gestures and vocalizations, hinting at a deeper level of symbolic understanding in birds.

This discovery challenges the prior assumption that symbolic gestures were unique to humans and great apes, broadening the scope of animal communication studies.