{"id":14529,"date":"2022-03-10T16:00:05","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T15:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=44129"},"modified":"2022-03-10T18:11:19","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T17:11:19","slug":"dawn-chorus-guide-what-it-is-how-to-hear-it-and-when-international-dawn-chorus-day-is-celebrated","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/dawn-chorus-guide-what-it-is-how-to-hear-it-and-when-international-dawn-chorus-day-is-celebrated\/","title":{"rendered":"Dawn chorus guide: what it is, how to hear it, and when International Dawn Chorus Day is celebrated"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Megan Shersby\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 10 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Birdsong hits its glorious annual peak in April and May, when the widest range of bird species throw their energy into one of our most uplifting wildlife phenomena. There are two purposes to birdsong: to attract a mate, and to hold down a territory.<\/p>\n

Spring\u2019s dawn chorus is not to be missed \u2013 the volume and variety of birds singing is so intense and uplifting. Simon Barnes, in his book Rewild Yourself<\/em>, reckons it is the \u201csingle biggest wildlife miracle that we have in Britain\u201d.<\/p>\n

What is the dawn chorus?<\/h2>\n

Spring\u2019s increasing day length triggers a hormonal change in birds that enlarges the parts of the brain controlling song production. The result is one of Britain\u2019s most accessible wildlife dramas \u2013 the dawn chorus.<\/p>\n

Morning is when females are most receptive to fertilisation after producing an egg and males sing to proclaim their territory and defend their paternity rights.<\/p>\n

Birdsong can carry up to 20 times further during the earlier and cooler hours of the day, enabling males\u2019 songs to reach more females.<\/p>\n

What time is the dawn chorus?<\/h2>\n
\""Dawn\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Dawn over a misty river in Sherwood Forest, England, UK. \u00a9 Nic Smalley\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

As the name suggests, the dawn chorus is first thing in the day and you\u2019ll need to set your alarm early in order get out in the garden or further afield to appreciate the dawn chorus \u2013 by 6.30am, it has peaked already and is dying down!<\/p>\n

Aim to be in place by 5am \u2013 a woodland or park is ideal, but every habitat has a dawn chorus.<\/p>\n

Do only male birds sing?<\/h2>\n

Traditionally, ornithologists and naturalists thought that it was just the male birds that could sing, with females only able to call. However, recent research shows that females do sing \u2013 but since it\u2019s usually less often and quieter, and females are usually more cryptic (staying hidden and typically duller in colour and patterning), it\u2019s much easier to miss their song.<\/p>\n

A study published in 2016 found that in a sample of over 1,000 songbird species around the world, over 64% had females that sing.<\/p>\n

There is also evidence that male researchers are less likely to study female birdsong than female researchers, and ornithology (and natural history) has historically been dominated by men.<\/p>\n

Discover some of the brilliant but overlooked women who have studied birds<\/a>. Plus inspiring female naturalists and environmentalists throughout history<\/a>.<\/p>

Which species will I hear in the dawn chorus in the UK?<\/h2>\n

The cacophony of birdsong can be intimidating to pick apart and try to identify the different species. However, with a little knowledge you can start to break the wall of sound into individual species. And if you record the songs (see below<\/em>), you can play them back later and spend more time on working out which species is singing which song.<\/p>\n

Learn more about identifying bird song and bird calls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Only the group of birds known as \u2018songbirds\u2019 can sing, sometimes known as passerines or searching birds. There are hundreds of songbird species around the world, in fact, more than half of the world\u2019s bird species are songbirds.<\/p>\n

Songbirds learn and practice their songs, whereas bird calls (made by both songbirds and other birds) are innate.<\/p>\n

Learn more about identifying birds:\u00a0<\/h4>\n