Wake up early enough and , depending on where you live , you ’ll likely hear a pleasant chorus ofbirdschirping their tiny spirit out . This ante meridiem avian musical arrangement is instinctual behavior for bird , but why ?

According to the Woodland Trust , this early singing is known as thedawn chorus , and it can set about as early as 4 a.m. and last for several hours . shuttlecock do it to attract better half and warn other birds to avoid their turf . One theory as to why they opt for the wee hours to pass along these crucial substance is because the low visibility crap it hard to do other hoot activeness , like foraging . Keeping their activity level low , they opt to sing instead .

Another possibility argues that skirt utilize themorning vocalsto project an image of strength . By let the cat out of the bag with fervor , they ’re letting other birds know they pull through the dark — no guarantee innature — and would make for an first-class checkmate .

A western meadowlark sings at dawn.

Like a good recording studio , the other morning hours also allow dame to impart acleartune thanks to the tank , drier air . Because bird have typical chirp , that clarity help them be more easy key out by birds within hearing space .

There used to be a predominate theory that birds sing so much in the mornings because the sounds could trip greater distance due to less atmospheric Sturm und Drang , but it was disproven byresearchersat the University of Western Ontario in 2003 . They played recordings of hedge sparrow at dawning and midday . The call did n’t travel far , but they were more consistent .

Because hiss only have so much energy to belt out one out , sing when they brook the best chance of being heard make sense . For a bird , an early morn session is like having the sodding acoustical environs for their performance .

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A variant of this story was published in 2020 ; it has been update for 2024 .