A Turkish village still uses “bird language” in everyday life.

The Turkish village of Kuşköy practices a rare whistling language known as “bird language.” Despite its name, this language isn’t used to communicate with birds but rather to villagers scattered along Kuşköy’s steep mountainous terrain. The messages can be as intricate as human language, and the high-pitched sounds are a genius way to communicate across long distances. This centuries-old custom has also landed itself on the UNESCO 2017 list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, so we may be lucky enough to hear the whistles bounce over the tree canopy in person someday.