Do You Know What Songbirds Are?

The answer seems simple. They are the birds that sing in our backyard. True enough, except there is a bit more to the answer. Songbirds are very special species of birds. They are in the order Passeriformes, which are the perching birds. So in other words, if a bird doesn't belong to the order of perching birds, they don't have the true ability to sing.

Parrots and Cockatoos can imitate all sorts of sounds, but they can't actually be part of the Songbirds. Songbirds have vocal chords. This gives them the ability to make multiple notes in their sounds. They actually learn songs by way of their parents and other local songbirds. They see what songs work to get what it is they are looking for.

The most common song is that of a male impressing a female for mating. The second most common is for a territorial male to defend his part of the world against rivals. But there are other types of sounds that songbirds make. Mating pairs use sounds to connect to each other, especially as evening is approaching and visibility is limited. They call to each other to narrow in on where the other is.

Birds also make warning sounds when a predator is approaching. Typically, the sound gets louder and more intense as the danger increases.

Among our common backyard birds are many songbirds. They seem to be represent the largest variety of birds that inhabit areas close to humans. The American Robin is one of most common examples. The Robin will sing many songs from before sun-up to after sun-down.

Songbirds have learned to use their unique ability to add survival advantages. That seems to be nature at its best.