music of the night

LEARN FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE MIDNIGHT CONCERTS OF OWLS, MOCKINGBIRDS AND MORE, PLUS THE EARLY-MORNING AVIAN SINGERS

BY EMILY HANNEMANN

WHEN YOU THINK OF BIRDSONG, you probably imagine a northern cardinal’s cheer-cheer-cheer or a black-capped chickadee’s fee-bee-bee. But what about the sounds you hear at night? While night-singing is less common, it does occur in the bird world. WHY DO BIRDS SING? To understand why birds sing at night, first it’s important to understand why they sing. Scientific research shows that birds sing for two main reasons, according to Jennifer Foote, a professor of biology at Algoma University whose research focuses on nocturnal birdsong. “For a bird that sings, the primary reason is to attract a mate and to defend a resource, like a territory,” she says. “Whether birds use the same song or different songs for that purpose will vary, but it’s pretty well established that those are the two main reasons…

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Birds & Blooms (Digital) - 1 Issue, August/September 2024

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