you might have heard that the early bird getsthe worm… but, some times of year, it seems like they sure are noisy about it. so, why are some songbirds so chirpy in themorning, before the sun’s even up? turns out, these birds sing in the morningto get the crispest, clearest sound quality they can. but before i can explain that, we gotta geton the same page about bird noises. a bird call is typically a short sound, likea chirp or a squawk, that all birds of the same species are born knowing how to make, to say things like “hey! i’m over here!†or “danger!â€
but the morning music that you often hearis birdsong, which is a longer, more complex pattern of notes. usually, male songbirds sing, though scientistshave found that many females can carry a tune, too. and most young birds have to learn their songsby copying an adult. males might sing to attract a mate, but mostlyit’s to tell other males to back off their territory. so as lovely as their songs might sound tous, the message isn’t always so sweet. so, that’s why songbirds sing, what aboutthe when? while you might hear bird calls at any timeof year, you’re more likely to hear birdsong
in the spring. and these songs are louderand more frequent during the wee hours of the morning. scientists call this phenomenon the dawn chorus,and they think it has to do with clarity of the sound. when the sun rises, it heats the ground and,in turn, the air. as the day goes on, the warm air rises, mixeswith layers of cool air, and creates atmospheric turbulence, lots of pockets of air molecules moving around at different speeds. this turbulence interferes with the birdsongbroadcast, making the sound less clear. since male songbirds of the same species cansing slightly different versions of the same
song, clarity is key, if a guy wants toset himself apart from the others and make sure he reaches the ladies. and it’s easiest to send a clear, complexmessage in the morning, when there’s not much atmospheric turbulence. plus, singing in the morning means that amale songbird not only survived the night, but he has the time and energy to sit andsing, instead of foraging for breakfast right away. so this could also make him seem like a healthier,more attractive mate. thanks to all our patrons for giving a hoot, you keep these answers coming. if you’d like
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