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Why are the Sounds of Birds Chirping So Peaceful?
The natural sound of chirping birds is soothing, relaxing, and quite literally music to our ears, serving to make us feel safe, reassured, and at peace. But why is that the case? Many believe this is a learned response that humans developed thousands of years ago.
Our distant ancestors understood that birds sing, chirp, and trill when they feel safe. Yet when they suddenly go silent, it’s because they sense that danger is near–a signal quickly recognized by the people on the ground in the distant past and to this day.
Because we often hear bird songs as the dawn slowly spreads across the sky, many describe the early dawn chorus as nature’s alarm clock.
The birds’ early morning songs help us to welcome the new day, giving us much-needed cognitive stimulation to wake up fully and prepare ourselves for the day’s challenges.
Why Does Listening to Birdsong Make You Happy?
Many of us find that reconnecting with nature helps us to cope with the pressures of our increasingly busy, stressful daily lives.
Taking a deep breath, smelling the roses, and most of all, listening to the chorus of songbirds can not only be physically beneficial but can also play a significant role in enhancing our happiness, overall sense of wellbeing, and mental and emotional health.
Investigators at the University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, England researched what they described as the restorative benefits of birdsong to determine whether it improved moods. When investigating natural sounds, they found that people most often cited bird songs and bird calls in helping them to feel less anxious and more relaxed.
Listening to bird songs has also been associated with an increased ability to complete tasks and enhanced creativity.
Is Listening to Birds Good for You?
Yes, research has found that listening to birds can be an extremely positive experience, boosting your mood and increasing your sense of wellbeing.
Are Birds Good for Anxiety?
Some find it ironic that a cute little bird logo represents the social media platform Twitter since many tweets only serve to provoke our anxiety. Yet listening to the birds around us decreases our stress, makes us feel happier, and improves our mental health.
A study conducted in England by the University of Exeter, University of Queensland, and British Trust for Ornithology assessed how nature in our surroundings impacts our mental health. They evaluated the mental well-being of approximately 300 people and methodically determined the number of birds around the participants’ homes.
Regardless of social background, age, or residential location, those participants who saw birds, heard bird songs, and were surrounded by trees and shrubs during the day were significantly less likely to feel anxious or depressed.
Why are Birds So Annoying in the Morning?
It’s true: most birds are early risers, and they tend to sing more frequently and more loudly during the wee hours than during other times of the day. Some theorize that birds may not have sufficient light at dawn to begin foraging for food, so they fill the time with exchanging bird songs.
In addition, there is less noise interference and competition from other sounds, making it easier to distinguish specific birds’ songs.
Most of the early singers are male birds who may be defending their territory from rival males. Or they may be singing to win over newly arrived females by showing off their virility.
What Time Do Birds Wake Up in the Morning?
Most birds tend to wake up at about 4:00 AM or an hour or so before the sun rises, at which time they begin their morning serenades. They typically continue singing until about half an hour after the sun rises. Such timing may vary depending on different seasons and different bird species.
For example, most owls are nocturnal birds, meaning they sleep during the day and wake at night. The Barred Owl has a unique call likened to the “who cooks for you” sound that many hear at night. The name of the Eastern Whip-poor-will is inspired by its call.
Also, a nocturnal bird, male Eastern Whip-poor-wills, frequently sing on spring and early summer nights during the breeding season to attract their mates.
Importantly, however, research suggests that city lights may cause diurnal city birds to begin their chorus even earlier. Artificial light from buildings, streetlights, and other light sources may prompt an early bird chorus well before dawn. In addition, early morning mist and cloud cover may further the effect by making the night appear even brighter due to the trapping of artificial light.
In addition, in the last 15 years or so, research shows that more bird species are now singing at night in city areas or earlier in the day so as not to compete with traffic sounds and other ambient noises that are more frequent during the day. Some have also begun to sing at an increased volume in noisy areas.
Human-created sounds frequently are not just loud but also are generated at lower frequencies. Some species, such as the Song Sparrow and the House Finch, have begun to sing at a modified acoustic frequency to overcome masking by human-created lower-frequency sounds.
Do Bird Chirps Mean Anything?
There is an important distinction between bird chirps—known as bird calls—and bird songs. Both are essential bird behaviors that represent different forms of communication. Generally, bird calls are short, simple bursts of sound from males or females.
In contrast, bird song tends to be much more complex, longer in duration, and usually made by male birds of breeding age.
Bird calls lack the musical and melodious quality of birdsong and sound relatively plain. They can be extremely quiet or quite loud. Bird calls can have multiple purposes, including the following:
- Birds usually utter soft, quiet calls–often called companion calls–to stay in contact with friendly birds, such as their mates or flocks of birds (i.e., reflecting the flock hierarchy).
- Birds also utter calls to indicate mild alarm, defend their territories, or signal intense alarm regarding threatening predators. When defending their territories or experiencing intense alarm, such calls are usually loud, repetitive vocalizations compared to companion calls.
In contrast, birds singing tend to utter long, drawn-out, melodic, repetitive sequences. Words used to describe birdsong include whistling, trilling, variable, pleasant, and musical. Hearing simple repetitive refrains typically can help you distinguish the difference between birdsong and bird calls.
Birds sing for several reasons, including the following:
- To announce their territory to rivals and to protect their home space where they gather food and prepare their nests
- To attract their mates during breeding season
- To indicate that they are not alarmed about predators
It’s important to note that birds do not sing when they fear that their lives are under threat.
How Do You Stop a Bird from Chirping Loudly or Deal with Loud Chirping?
Even for those of us who love hearing birdsong in the morning, even the most melodic song or repetitive calls at night can severely disturb sleep, particularly during mating season. Fortunately, there are some simple steps that you can take to improve the situation for you without harming your feathered friends:
- Use a ceiling fan or another fan type to help drown out noises. (In fact, some folks use ceiling fans all year round for this reason—mainly if their partner snores.)
- Use a white noise machine to drown out night bird calls and other background noises, such as traffic, city sounds, and other loud noises. Research has shown that white noise can help improve the quality and length of sleep.
- Download a white noise app. In addition to drowning out loud bird calls, some apps may provide soothing sounds from nature to lull you to sleep, such as water, thunder, rain—and, ironically enough, delicate birdsong. Many of those who practice meditation also find these apps helpful.
Do Scare Balloons Work?
Some devices can safely deter birds from hanging out in your backyard and calling throughout the night. One popular example is a bird scare balloon. Because birds are naturally sensitive to any sudden movements, they will instinctively fly or jump away if they detect a potentially dangerous situation.
If you hang a scare balloon from a tree or a long pole in your yard, it will move with the wind to serve as a deterrent. Further, most bird scare balloons have bright colors, large and glaring eyes, and a gaping mouth, with its unusual design meant to resemble predator bird features.
If you’d like to try a scare balloon in your yard as a bird repellent, be sure to check the label to ensure the balloon is free of chemicals and does not contain any dangerous materials.