66. Just when do birds sing in flight?
7. When to Sing, and How
Songs and calls in flight
From page 136 in the book.
Just when do birds sing in flight? At one time or another, perhaps all individuals of all species sing in flight. For most species it is just a routine song while the bird flies from one perch to another, and of no special significance. But then there are the highly distinctive flight songs, such as those by western meadowlarks, that are heard only rarely. Ditto for the occasional flight song of the common yellowthroat, delivered in butterfly-flight with quivering wings and bobbing tail. We know so little about those songs. What are the circumstances under which they are used? Many flight songs sound ecstatic and jumbled, making one wonder if the overall delivery is improvised on the spot or whether the flight song is as stereotyped and constant as the perched songs. Multiple renditions of a flight song from one individual, such as ovenbird, western meadowlark, orcommon yellowthroat, would tell whether the complex song is improvised each time or memorized and stored in the brain.