Bird songs are messages important to the bird who sings and to the bird who hears. Songs pattern the social lives of birds; most often clarifying the boundaries of territory, attracting mates and calling out warnings. Some birds may even sing for the joy of the song; an avian celebration of a beautiful day.
What Are Bird Songs And Who Sings
Bird songs range from complex vocalizations with melodic content to simple short burst of sound generally categorized as calls. David Rothenberg in Why Birds Sing (13) points out that no bird song is random; all have pitch, rhythm, pattern and repose. All bird songs have meaning but, lacking syntax, can not be considered language (ibid).
Lengthy songs are usually attributed to male birds marking territory or trying to attract a mate but some species of female birds sing as well. In The Singing Life of Birds, Donald Kroodsma, (335) reports that Northern Cardinals sing duets.
Bird calls commonly made by both males and females are simple, short and range from cries of alarm to the soft chirps heard in the forest as our feathered neighbors settle down for the night. Bird families often rely on calls for recognition, perhaps even comfort.
It’s In The DNA
Every bird that sings is born with genetically encoded vocalization limits. For some, such as the Eastern Phoebe that is all there is. Each Eastern Phoebe sings the exact same song as every other Eastern Phoebe (Kroodsma, 43). But most singing birds learn from others of their species. The overall pattern of vocalization may be set, but the configuration of DNA leaves room for learning. Dialects and individual variation are common among these species.
A few bird species learn or mimic the songs of their own and other species. Among the birds in North America that mimic are warblers, starlings, and thrushes but their skills pale in comparison to Northern Mockingbirds, some of whom have repertoires of more than two hundred songs. Mimicry is not always confined to bird songs, common mechanical sounds and even human and other animal sounds have been recorded.
More Research Needed
Today, with CD’s and sonagrams of bird songs and inexpensive recording equipment readily available ornithologists and avocational birders can easily launch meaningful bird song studies. Whether in an urban setting or a wilderness area; the opportunity to contribute to the field of bird behavior is only an ear away.
References and Recommended Reading
Kroodsma, Donald. The Singing Life of Birds (New York Houghton Mifflin Company 2005).
Robbins, Chandler S., Bertel Bruun and Herbert S. Zimm. Birds of North America, A Guide to Field Identification. (New York Golden Press 1983).
Rothenberg, David. Why Birds Sing (New York Basic Books 2005).
Short, Lester L. The Lives of Birds (New York Henry Holt and Company 1993).
