{"id":17280,"date":"2019-07-21T23:37:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-21T23:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=17280"},"modified":"2019-07-22T20:45:11","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T20:45:11","slug":"why-do-birds-sing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/why-do-birds-sing\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do birds sing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Steadman<\/a>, University of Florida<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Curious Kids<\/a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you\u2019d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Birds are some of the most attractive creatures on earth. Who doesn\u2019t like to watch a Blue Jay<\/a>, Cardinal<\/a> or Baltimore Oriole<\/a> going about its business?<\/p>\n

But the beauty of birds isn\u2019t just their looks \u2013 it\u2019s also their noises. Bird songs are among nature\u2019s most distinctive and musically satisfying sounds<\/a>. Why do birds spend so much time and energy singing?<\/p>\n

There are two main purposes, and they are connected. First, male birds sing to mark territories. A singing bird is saying, \u201cThis place is mine, and I\u2019m willing to defend it, especially from others of my species.\u201d He may patrol his chosen space and sing often, either from the middle or the edges of what he considers his turf.<\/p>\n

The second purpose of singing is to attract a mate for nesting. Female birds often choose their mates based on some blend of visual and vocal cues. Even male birds with beautiful breeding-season plumage can have trouble finding mates<\/a> if their songs don\u2019t measure up.<\/p>\n

Each bird species typically has its own unique song. That allows an individual bird to hear a song and recognize whether the singer is from its own species.<\/p>\n

Birds are most vocal during nesting season. For example, in Florida where I live, Cardinals live year-round. They usually start singing in January, just a few weeks after the days begin to get longer. After the nesting period is over, birds sing much less and their territories break down.<\/p>\n