The team noticed that when they’re carrying food back to the nest, the birds would often find a perch nearby first. Then, one would flutter its wings towards the other.

The the Japanese tit with food in its mouth, and doing the “after you” gesture. Suzuki and Sugita, 2024/ Current Biology. The birds were observed arriving at a nest box with food in pairs.

We've all seen how birds touch down on a ledge. They swoop in, tilt up, and then open their wings wide at the last moment, flaring out like a parachutist to drop at almost zero speed onto the ...