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 Why Birds Sing So Loud at Dawn

By Shlomo Maital

     I rise early and walk our two little dogs, often at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m.  These days, it is usually dark, well before dawn. Nonetheless, the songbirds are there, filling the air with their song, competing loudly one with another, with enormous energy.

      Why?  Why do birds sing to loudly even before the sun rises?

      Writing in the New Scientist (a terrific magazine and website), James Woodford recounts research done by scientists/ornithologists, on zebra finches.  Their theory:  Birds rest at night, and their rapid metabolisms slow and accumulate energy.  When they wake at dawn, they express that energy with a burst of song.  When other birds do it, too,  it turns into a kind of competition, with one songbird stimulating the other.

      Woodford writes: “The dawn chorus of birdsong has inspired poets and nature lovers for thousands of years, but the reason why birds all over the world start the day this way is an enduring mystery.   Now, a series of experiments in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) suggests that while darkness inhibits singing, birds build up a stronger motivation to sing in the night that causes them to burst into song when the dawn breaks. The study also hints that a morning workout for the vocal muscles helps birds finesse their songs.

    Of course.  It’s the birds’ morning workout for their vocal chords.  Ever heard a chazan (Jewish prayer leader) or opera singer warming up their voices?  The birds are doing their hour of practice, before …well, before performing.

     Try rising early, one of these mornings…just once, not every day!   The birdies’ concert will make it worth your while.