Why do birds sing in the morning?

There are lots of different reasons why birds use song and calls - for all kinds of different communication.

Songbirds make up about half of the 9,600 bird species.

Most singing takes place during the breeding season and usually in early morning and late afternoon - although this varies from species to species. This normally happens when they are really settled in the area and want to mark their presence to other birds.

It's commonly believed that birds most commonly sing in the mornings because the sound carries further, because of the lack of noise!

During the breeding season you may hear the dawn chorus less, this is because birds are caring for their young - so they aren't too bothered about defending their territory!

It's lucky/ unlucky that here during high summer, the dawn chorus can start as early as 4am.At that time you'll usually hear Wrens, Robins and Blackbirds.

Once the breeding season is over, singing stops altogether.