Several species of birds create music so beautiful that it has inspired poets, artists and musicians over the centuries. All over the world, birds are waking us up from their morning refrains. But what reasons do they sing?

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Courting

Generally, only males sing, in order to attract a female during the mating season. That's why we hear them singing from January to July.

The male often sings in the morning because it proves that he has survived the night and is able to find food, which makes him a good candidate! Another quality to which females are sensitive is the volume of the song, which shows that its owner lacks neither strength nor dynamism. The cute wren weighs about 9 g but can sing ten times louder than a rooster, making it highly desirable.

Each songbird has a distinct song that helps females make their choice. The red mockingbird can sing several melodies, while the house sparrow has only one song in its repertoire. The birds of the beautiful menuridae family have the most complex song and the Japanese sparrow trains for 50 days to perfect its melody. All these qualities do not go unnoticed by the ears of females!

Singing in flight

Some birds sing in the air. They recruit other birds of the same species within their colony (such as starling flocks). The song in flight of a lark can last up to an hour and also serves to mark its territory. It can rise vertically up to 305 m, staying there for several minutes before descending in a dive.

Marking the territory

Although we gladly associate the song of passerines with spring, they also sing in winter because they defend their territory. Their song warns other birds of their presence and informs them that the area is inhabited. As with mating, the louder the song, the more effective the signal. Robins are heard during the winter because they mark their territory all year round. They use their song and red chest to defend it and can be very aggressive.

Females are most fertile at the beginning of the day. This is why the song of passerines often rises early in the morning, the males trying to keep the competition away by showing their vigor. This is also the time to listen and determine if there are new territories to invest.

Singing fights

Research shows that the nightingale, famous for its song, tries to seduce the female by cutting the whistle to its competitor, with great aggressiveness. The male fights for the attention of the female by singing louder than his neighbor with the help of the 300 or so trills he has in his repertoire.

Nightingales sing mostly during the day and evening, but lonely males also sing at night to attract a mate. It is true that at this hour they are often the only ones singing.


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