“Ventriloquist”

When the birds return, the loud chirping signals the arrival of spring. Especially when you’re heading to school in the morning or lying in bed with the window open at night, you can hear the “little singers” tirelessly repeating their melodies. Sometimes, you can hear the chattering of the warblers singing, with just two notes: chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp. It’s truly delightful! Each species has its own unique sound, and if you can’t see the birds, you can try to differentiate them by their songs. Birds are born singers, but what they sing and how they sing is learned through listening and imitation, especially for young birds.

Why do birds chirp?

Birds chirp to communicate. For example, when a cat sneaks up on them, they emit short warning calls. However, birds also sing songs.

Most of the loud and persistent singers are males. As food becomes more abundant, birds begin to seek mates and raise their young together. First, the males establish their territories. When a blackbird sings on the wall of a house, it’s not out of joy but to tell competitors, “Look here, I’m right here! This place is taken!” In other words, birds use song to delineate territories. Second, they court females. The more varied the songs, the more attractive the males are. Therefore, a blackbird often responds to another blackbird, trying to outdo it. Nightingales have shown us the longest songs with over 200 different musical phrases.

Noise-makers in the city

Humans produce sounds using vocal cords, whereas birds’ vocal organs are syrinxes. The syrinx is located at the junction of the trachea and bronchi, separated by the vibrating membrane. When air flows through, it causes the membrane to vibrate, producing sound. The syringe muscles can change the tension of the membrane, thus changing the pitch. Researchers have found that birds in cities sing louder, and their voices can easily drown out surrounding noise. Many birds in cities also sing earlier than those in the countryside because the streets are quieter at that time.

Interesting facts

The lyrebird’s courtship song incorporates 20 songs of other birds. If an Australian lyrebird lived near humans, its love song might sound like this: alarm systems sounding, chainsaws roaring… really! You can listen to it online (search for keywords: lyrebird and chainsaw).