the.com/birdsong
Territory threats and sex pitches, dressed up as nature's alarm clock.
means The musical sounds birds make, mostly to mark territory or attract a mate, that humans hear as cheerful melody.
from A simple, transparent compound — 'bird' plus 'song' — that's existed in English for centuries, built the same straightforward way as 'birdcall' or 'birdbath.' No hidden story here: the word just names the thing plainly, letting the actual phenomenon (and our romantic mishearing of it) do all the interesting work.
- dawn chorus
- loudest at sunrise because cool air carries sound farther
- learning curve
- young birds babble and practice, just like human infants
- two voices
- songbirds can sing two notes at once via dual vocal cords
- not joy
- mostly males yelling keep out and pick me