Ask easy, difficult to answer: Why do birds sing?

This question seems simple, but the answer is not simple. The song of birds is the subject of research by scientists as well as the inspiration of many musicians and poets for centuries.

If humans use language to communicate, birds also communicate through their 'songs' . Young birds must learn to sing from their parents, and other birds in their habitats. Some species even learn to recognize their parents' songs right from their eggs - just like a baby can recognize her mother's voice from her stomach.

Birds can be singed by a larynx-like part of a human, pea-sized. When talking about birds 'songs' , one cannot just talk about one type of sound. It is a complex of many sounds, used for certain purposes, in certain circumstances. Scientists have classified the following types of bird songs.

Excited to alarm

Picture 1 of Ask easy, difficult to answer: Why do birds sing?
Birds sing when they feel threatened or need to alert their fellow men about a certain risk.

This type of sound is usually very sharp, strong, capable of fast transmission, so it can be heard from far away. Birds make this cry whenever they feel threatened or need to alert their fellow people about a certain risk.

Sorry to ask for help

Picture 2 of Ask easy, difficult to answer: Why do birds sing?
The song that needs help is the chirping cry of young birds.

Is the chirping cry of young birds. They often make small, weak voices while beating their wings to get the attention of the mother bird.

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Picture 3 of Ask easy, difficult to answer: Why do birds sing?
Singing birds to communicate is like how we greet friends or visit to see if they are alright.

These birds' cries are like the way we greet friends or visit to see if they're okay. Birds that move in flocks often use this signal to tell each other about the path of travel, a good source of food, or another herd that is moving along their path.

Glory to impress and to mark territory

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Of the more than 1,000 songbirds worldwide, up to 64% have songbirds.

Previously it was believed that males often kept their best voices when attracting females, or the most threatening voice to mark their territory with the surrounding male birds. However, a Cornell University 2016 study showed that among more than 1,000 songbirds worldwide, up to 64% have songbirds.

Screaming for being born to sing

Of course, humanity still cannot fully understand the reasons for birds singing. So there is a theory that just as humans like singing, they do it for entertainment. Listen to the song of an Australian bird named Lyrebird. This bird has a special ability to mimic different types of sounds, including human laughter or car engine sounds.

Picture 5 of Ask easy, difficult to answer: Why do birds sing?
There is a theory that just as humans like singing, they do it for entertainment.

Music and art inspired by birds

The pinching tone of singing birds has become an endless source of inspiration for some composers and artists. Vivaldi's 'Goldfinch' symphony, Beethoven's 6th symphony, features a simulation of the song of some birds. Wagner gives the song 'the bird in the bush' to his famous opera named " Siegfried ".

Most recently, David Rothenberg, a jazz artist and philosopher, spent many years studying and writing books about bird singing. He has succeeded in using various instruments such as flute and trumpet to communicate with birds.

When David played the instrument, a certain bird would listen curiously and then sing in harmony with his music.