Birds are gifted with beautiful songs. Well, not all birds—consider the raven's croak—but certainly many strike a common chord with human lovers of music. With our sometimes unfortunate quirk of attributing human emotions to animals, we may wax poetic of birds bursting into song because their wee bodies cannot contain their joy of life.
Scientists, who may enjoy the trills of a songbird as much or more than
poets, however, must be more cautious. The facts seem to be that most often songs are
claims of territory or designed to win the lady bird's heart. The coy females of
some bird species, like Song Sparrows, are known to prefer males equipped with the
local dialect—just as an Alabama lass may favor a southern over a New York
accent. But the females almost never encounter an outlander, so why the preference?
Recent studies suggest that being able to master the complexities of the local song is
best achieved by a virile, healthy male—just the mate to father the chicks and
help out around the house.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Welty, J. L. 1982. The Life of Birds. 3rd ed., Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, 754 pp. (See pp. 114-115, 153)