The Language of the Birds

 The first time you hear Silbo Gomero, you might think that you’re listening to two birds having a conversation. Alternately chirpy and melodic, shrill and deeply resonating, this ancient whistling language is as lovely as birdsong. But Silbo, once a dying art, now being brought back to life on the Spanish Island of la Gomera, is steeped in history and boasts a complex vocabulary of more than 4,000 whistled words that can be heard from miles away. It’s definitely not for the birds.

La Gomera, a small, verdant island in the Canary Islands archipelago , is scored with plunging ravines and etched with steep cliffs. Simply put, it's impossible to get anywhere easily.

 These days, winding highways and telephone lines ease communication between islanders. But 2,500 years ago, when it's thought the first settlers arrived from nearby northern Africa, Silbo developed as the perfect tool for sending messages back and forth across the rugged terrain. In ideal conditions, it could be heard up to four kilometers away, saving islanders from struggling up hill and down dale just to deliver a message to a neighbor.

 At first, Silbo was probably used as an emergency signal, but over time a full language developed. While other forms of whistled communications have existed in pockets of Greece, Turkey, China and Mexico, none is as developed as Silbo Gomero. When the Spanish conquered the island in the 15th century, Silbo (whose name stems from the Spanish word silbar, 'to whistle') adapted, and the language you can sometimes hear whistled in La Gomera's streets today mimics the tonal sounds of Spanish.

Unfortunately, you won't hear Silbo often - at least for now. Modern conveniences have all but killed the language; it's unnecessary in a world of mobile phones. It's been relegated to elderly islanders, who remember the whistles of their youth. In the past few years, however, the situation has changed dramatically.

In less than a decade, Silbo has gone from being La Gomera's near-forgotten heritage to being its prime cultural selling point. Conferences on Silbo, Silbo demonstrations around Spain, and studies about the language's history are all part of a high-priority government plan to resurrect the whistling language of La Gomera.

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