Do YOU speak chicken? Scientists say you can tell how birds are feeling based on their clucks

Whether it's a cat purring or a dog wagging its tail, some animals show their emotions in obvious ways.

But humans can tell whether chickens are excited or upset by their pecks alone, according to a new study.

The researchers recorded the sounds made by chickens that heard a beep and received a treat, as well as those who heard a beep but did not get any treat.

Next, nearly 200 participants were asked to listen to the clucks and rate them, indicating how happy or unhappy they were with the chickens, as well as how excited they felt.

The analysis revealed that more than two-thirds of people – 69% – were able to classify the calls correctly.

The results, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, revealed that two types of gurgling were produced in anticipation of a reward – the 'food' call and the 'fast cluck'.

At the same time, two other call types, “whine” and “jackle,” were produced in a non-reward context.

Food calls and rapid clicks tended to be shorter while whines were hesitant, and high-frequency calls and jackals were harsher, the researchers said.

The analysis also found that there did not appear to be any advantage for participants who had previous experience handling chickens, compared to those who had no experience at all.

The researchers, from the University of Queensland's School of Veterinary Science, said the ability to detect emotional information from gurgling could improve the welfare of farmed chickens.

“The prevailing finding of this study that a large proportion of participants were successfully able to recognize calls produced in reward-related contexts has important implications for the welfare of farmed chickens,” they said.

“It provides confidence that people involved in raising chickens can recognize the emotional state of the birds they are caring for, even if they have no previous experience.

“In future research, rewarded and non-rewarded vocalizations could be considered reliable ‘markers’ of internal states, allowing the development of automatic assessments of good or compromised welfare states within poultry management systems.”

How do caterpillars “scream”?

A new report explains how some species of caterpillars are able to emit screams when predators approach.

Researchers from Carleton University in Canada learned that these creatures make these sounds thanks to a process that occurs in their guts.

When air is forced through the constriction inside them, they make a screaming sound that is loudest around their mouths.

The researchers compared this process to that which occurs in tea kettles.

The structures inside the guts of some caterpillars act like tea kettles. Researchers discovered that air is pushed through the contractions, causing whistling sounds inside them (archive image)

However, the process remains somewhat confusing to scientists, who do not understand how air gets to the top of the caterpillars' guts.

Insects do not have lungs, and air enters their bodies through openings called spiracles.

The larvae are usually herbivores. However, some eat insects; A small percentage eat other members of their own species.

The caterpillars are known to have a hearty appetite and to be a pest to gardeners. As their bodies grow, they constantly shed their skin.

The part of the body located inside their gut allows them to eat a large amount by monitoring their potassium levels.

A number of moth species are most often associated with their larval stages because they pose a threat to developing fruit and other produce.

In addition, the larvae are known to be a source of silk for humans and a source of food for animals.