“Across human cultures, head movements convey a wide variety of messages,” writes Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS.

“Penguins mate for life. Which doesn’t exactly surprise me that much cause they all look alike – it’s not like they’re gonna meet a better-looking penguin someday.” –Ellen DeGeneres 

On the matter of birds, I was recently observing punk pigeons (Crested Pigeons) walking, and it seemed oddly uncomfortable for them to be moving their heads back and forth so rapidly.

Other walking birds, such as magpies, certainly don’t do it. But I discovered there’s a good reason why pigeons do it, which I’ll come back to.

Head movement extends to humans, too. Across human cultures, head movements convey a wide variety of messages. For instance: in India, a sideways double “head wobble” signifies understanding, or acknowledgment, while a head tilt to the right side signifies acquiescence. 

In most cultures a nod (up and down) typically signals agreement or affirmation while a head shake (side to side) commonly indicates disagreement or refusal. 

However, in Bulgaria and some neighbouring regions, a nod means “no” and a shake means “yes” – which is the opposite of the norm in most other cultures. This could clearly be dangerous for the unwary traveller.

In Japan, a slight bow of the head is a sign of respect or greeting rather than communication or agreement. More dangerously, in Scotland it could be preparation for a Scottish kiss.

In Malaysia it’s considered rude to point, so if you ask a Malay for directions, he or she will point their lips in the direction you need to go. In England, a quick jerk upward of the head towards the right signifies “hop it”.

Humans also use head movements to show their reaction to someone else’s account of events. They show empathy by tilting the head up and down sympathetically or sideways to show horror or disbelief. (Often seen with the noddies behind politicians and emergency managers.)

The human ability to use head movements for nuanced communication is tied to our use of speech for social interaction. This contrasts with pigeons, whose head movements are largely functional or instinctive.

Anyway, to return to pigeons, they move their heads back and forth when they walk because of the way their vision works. It helps them maintain visual stability and focus on their surroundings.

Pigeons and similar birds have monocular vision, meaning each eye sees a separate field of view. Their eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads, giving them a wide field of vision but less depth perception.

The head bobbing compensates for this by keeping their eyes steady for short moments as their body moves forward. This steadiness allows them to better focus on objects and detect motion in their environment. It also enhances their ability to detect potential threats.

In summary, humans use head movements primarily for enhanced communication, in contrast to pigeons who do it mainly for vision stabilisation.

On a lighter note: A college wrestler is competing in a national championship match. His coach tells him: “Your opponent is undefeated. He has this hold that never fails him. It’s called the Double Pretzel Lock. Whatever you do, don’t let him get you in the Double Pretzel Lock or you’re done-for.” 

The match is progressing, and our hero is doing well. Just as his coach thinks he may have a chance there’s a whirlwind of movement and our guy is tied up in the Double Pretzel Lock. The coach is distraught, knowing the match is lost. 

Suddenly, there’s a blood-curdling scream and the two wrestlers fly off the mat. Our wrestler lands on his previously undefeated opponent, pins him down and wins the match. There’s pandemonium in the arena. His coach yells: “That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen! Unbelievable! How did you do that!?” 

Our guy says: “Coach, there I was, almost completely unable to move, all twisted up in the Double Pretzel Lock. I knew I was done for and was about to give up when I saw this pair of testicles near my face… so I bit them. 

“Coach, you’ll never know how high you can jump until you bite your own testicles.”

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.