Why Do Birds Sing? Singing is an important part of the breeding cycle, which begins when migratory male birds reach their nesting grounds. They usually arrive before the female birds, giving each ...

For instance, female birds were long assumed to rarely sing. This notion likely grew out of a longstanding focus on birds of North America, where female birds do tend to sing less than males.

"For some reason," Adam says, birds have "an insane drive to sing." This means hours every day for some species, and that takes a lot of energy. Plus, singing can be dangerous.

Why do birds feel motivated to sing in the absence of (external) rewards? The study came out of Lauren Riters' lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the most prestigious universities ...