Why Are Birds Singing At Night

After reading thru the entire thread, my 2 cents are this:
The world is changing, and we as people are making noise later and later, so MAYBE they are trying to adapt by singing later than our noise.

My husband and I noticed the birds singing at night, also. This was around the year 2000. We didn't have streetlights, either, so it was dark. We thought it was very strange that birds would sing at night, every night!

I've noticed this too, and I've noticed different kinds of birds that aren't typically in this area.


There's been a lot of strange behavior in birds recently.
I keep hearing people relating stories from experiences they've had with strange things they've noticed with birds.

Most of the stories I heard had to do with birds migrating the wrong way, and a lot of the people I heard this from were in Canada.

The first sign that there is some kind of natural danger is the actions and behaviors in birds, and then other animals.

I was once told by an old native American friend, that in a time of a natural disaster or time before hand, never trust a human, go where the birds go because just like us they are seeking safety but they have a perception and intuition we lack so whenever you see a bird fleeing from somewhere your best bet is to go where they go (when he said this i couldn't help but laugh to myself and imagine myself sitting in the middle of a pond or in top of a tree during a hurricane haha) but it really does make sense.


For anyone who finds this topic interesting, some thing you could do is get a journal write down everything about the day like

Temperature, changes in temperature during the day.
Note if there is rain, sun, clouds , fog.
Humidity.
What kind of moon it is.
Winds.
Just pretty much all the basics also note the behaviors of the birds even if they aren't acting odd, also do this even if there isn't something strange going on so you can immediately look back for reference and note if there are any changes.
If you do this, and notice the patterns and then some kind of big natural event takes place this could explain, this is also a good way to know if there is going to be any kind of dangerous weather.

Sorry if this seems pointless or dumb.
Just an idea.

Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
Not only have I noticed them singing at night, but I have also observed certain species CHANGING their usual vocalizations over the past few years. In particular, the DOVES in my area are making odd sounds over the past couple of years that I had never heard in the previous DECADES come from them.

Something is indeed going on.

Wow, bird activity coming into ATS forums.... geezus.

2 things here:

FYI, certain species of the dove family have been expanding their ranges northward in North American for several years now (at least a decade). Possibly due to climate change or other ecological factors (no one knows precisely why... maybe because we need more scientists to go out in the field and do research!).

If you look at bird field guides published several decades ago, the White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) was formerly a bird of the far southwestern arid areas of the United States (southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California). Within the past 10-15 years they have expanded their range northward and are commonplace every-day birds in cities where they were very rarely sighted a decade ago.

The same goes for Eurasian Collared-Doves (Streptopelia decaocto). As with any species on earth, they go through population and range shifts. Eurasian Collared-Doves gained a foothold in Florida several years ago, and within the last decade+ due to ecological / evolutionary factors their range has exploded in North America and are common and widespread even to Canada, where they were unheard of just a few years ago.

I have a feeling the person commenting noticing new calls in their local doves is somewhere in the US, where these 2 dove species have greatly expanded their range in recent years. Yes they have different (although still dove-like) calls from the Mourning Doves and Rock Pigeons you are used to seeing and hearing. It's not a conspiracy, it's evolution in progress - possibly affected by climate shift, human developments, or just the fact that the dove family is a highly adaptive modern line of birds that is doing very well these days.


Secondly,

Some birds sing at night. That is just a fact of nature. Northern Mockingbirds are ubiquitous throughout much the the United States, and they do sing and night, and have done so for thousands of years. Just because your awareness of it is new does not mean the phenomenon is new.

Maybe you are just having problems sleeping at night and so you start to notice the loud (beautifully voiced!) mockingbird singing out of your window at 1am.


I can understand distrust of our governments, political and financial leaders, etc.

But the more and more I read ATS forums, I get the distinct impression that we (at least ATSers) are relapsing to the dark ages where easily-gained scientific knowledge is being veiled by laziness to learn, read books, go outside, study nature, study science.

Come on guys, don't be afraid of the mockingbird. If you're worried about them, just go buy some bird books and read up, or go bird-watching. If you want to worry about something, worry about political and social trends and the religious right spewing crap to hinder scientific awareness.

[edit on 15-4-2009 by ELFowl]

[edit on 15-4-2009 by ELFowl]

reply to post by ELFowl


great, thanks for the patronising advice about not returning to dark ages consciousness.

you haven't mentioned weather or not you have taken the time to actually pay attention to weather or not the birds are singing at odd hours in your area before dismissing reports from people around the globe as mistaken mocking bird song.

I have to say that I also have noticed this as well. About 15 years ago, I lived in Florida and heard roosters crowing all night long there, but that was due to the lights in the area. Where I live there are 4 big farms, all of which have roosters. They crow all night long. Or at least they have for the past year. Before that it was just in the mornings. Its dark around here where its a country setting so I cant figure it out. Yet the birds sing all night. They have ever since around Jan. Even the family of crows we have around here are squaking around 2 am. So yeah we are hearing it all hours of the night. Its not cats.

The dying birds that were being seen this past year. According to the news was salmonela. Probally spelled that wrong. I just would like to know why all of a sudden birds are getting salm. from eating seeds when they never got it before?

Let me guess, the news will have some stupid excuse for the birds singing all hours of the night to?

reply to post by ELFowl



I know what a mocking bird is. In fact I happen to have about 6 pairs on my property. But when I also happen to have over 40 pairs of sparrows outside my bedroom window that are awake and yapping all night I know there is a problem. When I here the crows squaking all night there is a problem. And when I see and hear the roosters crwoing I know its not a mocking bird.

reply to post by ELFowl


Why on earth would you claim that folks are responding to the OP as a conspiracy?
I've reviewed every post and did not read anything pertaining to conspiracy.
People are merely comparing, assessing and speculating a possible cause
for what they deem to be a unusual occurance. Not a conspiracy.


back on subject:
I have noticed roosters in my area crowing from
1:00 A.M. 'till 3:00 A.M. since November '08 and not hearing them before
or at sunrise.
I have not noticed other birds being vocal at night, with the exception of the Nighthawk and various Owl species.

The birds that 'ground nest', in my area, have been very active lately. But I attribute that to the large increase in the Coyote population here.

reply to post by Retseh


I live in a small hamlet in rural lincolnshire and so the night sky is pitch black. I have certainly noticed the birds singing from around 0400 hrs or just before. They're quite loud too, not good when you can't get to sleep

[edit on 18-4-2009 by MCoG1980]

well i see some people saying its because people staying up later or making more noise etc.... but i think maybe its a little more to it maybe weve drifted away so far from nature we lost our instincts etc. not being paranoid or anything but lets just look at the picture a sec..

bats?
bees?
birds?
salmon?

theres an excuse for them all im sure but i find it a bit wierd most travel by magnetic fields if im correct? eh i just find it a bit wierd

also wanted to add which i added on a similer thread such as this... that story about 100+ dolphins found dead on shore of some place. not really sure where it was but i remember seeing it in the news and online aswell.

[edit on 24-4-2009 by Reality..]

Maybe they're responding to an environmental shift. Singing at night might be the covert way to communicate that #'s going to hit the fan. The entire planet is changing. The birds would too. Sadly. I love the birds

My Wife and i are literally rolling in the floor laughing at most of you now, I have lived in the country all my life and cannot remember a night from spring till late fall that some birds are singing all night long.

My personal opinion is that many people are starting to wake up and listen, and that is why you are just now hearing the beautiful singing birds as you drift off to slumber land. just a note if you are just now starting to wake up go outside on a quiet night(no road traffic or loud parties near) and you can hear the earth under your feet. And the wildest sound you could ever hear is the sound of fog rolling in, sounds like a very distant hissing as it rolls in and over you.

Yeppers many people are starting to wake up and hear mother earth and all her creatures, Ain't it a beautiful sound; albeit a sound you most likely will have to grow accutomed to. Beats rumbling trucks and police sirens all night.

Originally posted by Pappa_Bear
My Wife and i are literally rolling in the floor laughing at most of you now,

i'm..... eh...... glad you had a laugh at our expense, i always like to brighten someones day.

I have lived in the country all my life and cannot remember a night from spring till late fall that some birds are singing all night long.

can you clarify, have you always heard this or never heard it? i think you have probably always heard it but i like to be sure.

you seem fairly tuned in to it, have you noticed any change in the number of birds singing or the types of birds singing. also, would you mind giving your general location, the US somewhere i presume but is it north, west, south, east....., just curious as to where and when.

just a note if you are just now starting to wake up go outside on a quiet night(no road traffic or loud parties near) and you can hear the earth under your feet. And the wildest sound you could ever hear is the sound of fog rolling in, sounds like a very distant hissing as it rolls in and over you.

can't hear that stuff over the freakin birdsong.

the idea that there are a whole lot of people noticing it for the first time rather than the birds singing at night more than usual strikes me as an interesting development in itself, either way, i find this thread fascinating.

Beats rumbling trucks and police sirens all night.

couldn't agree more

[edit on 1/5/09 by pieman]

If birds weren't singing at 4am this time of year I'd be very, very worried. I have my bedroom window open all year round, and am a light sleeper. It's rare for me to wake any time of the night, any time of the year and not hear at least one bird - maybe a robin in winter - singing. In spring I expect it all night long. Mind, I do have an "avian apartment block" at the foot of my garden containing dozens of nests - from goldfinch to wood pigeon.

As I've said before, the Beatles even wrong a song about a Blackbird singing in the dead of night ...

reply to post by pieman


I've always heard birds singing a most of the night long, and yes you can hear the erath under your feet even with the birds singing, in fact it seems to help tune it in if you can block all other sounds out. Kind of like tuning in to the earth and how she speaks to us thru nature.

My grandkids think it's cool that PawPaw can understand the cats and know exactly what they want when they meow and if the stray dog running down the road is nice or should not be petted.

Nature talks all the time, the trees have a language of thier own, especialy in a light breeze. Of course gowing up in the back mountains of Kentucky with a lot of ol' timers probably helped me learn to hear whats truly important.

and Pieman I'm in Florida now, not much different here except more birds singing all night in the winter. And no I havent' noticed more or less on the sounds of nature with the exception of migrating birds moving a couple of weeks later than usual.

edited to finish post

[edit on 1/5/2009 by Pappa_Bear]

I know its normal for Mocking birds, and for killdeer, which I have both. But still there is plenty of roosters crowing all night and many small birds singing, Which just seems wrong. I also am seeing differences in the nesting behavior this year especially with the Killdeer. This year they laid 4 eggs. Instead of there normal 2 out here. The eggs havent even hatched yet. But they started breeding again 2 days ago. This means more eggs? The first 4 should be hatching in about another week, why would they start laying again?

reply to post by Retseh

I was living at Pensacola Naval Air Station in the late 1970's and would hear the mockingbirds sing well into the early morning hours. People who lived in the area said this was nothing new about mockinbirds, and they did this usually during certain periods of the year.

I'm hearing birds singing in the middle of the night in NE Washington near Idaho. The birds are not squawking in alarm but in melody. The sound is pleasant but strange to hear when it is pitch dark out and it is the middle of the night. I've just started hearing them this week. I live in a rural area where there isn't a lot of loud sounds during the day.

Like the whales and dolphins that have been continually beaching themselves, the birds' internal systems are screwed up as well.

It's the migration issue for the sea animals and something else in the birds.

Our earth is slowing, thanks to the already present pole shift/alignment. If you need proof -

Compare your pc clock, which is automatically synch'd for you - to a battery/electric wall clock that isn't automatically synch'd.

Over the first week or two you will notice a minute or two difference in the times. I've been watching mine for about four months now and it's already up to a full 4 minute difference. The pc clock is ahead of the regular clock.

We are losing time each day/week/month - that is because the pole shift has already begun and will top out in 2012.

The more the shelves break and slide, the more earthquakes we have, as the earth slows. This is screwing up the bird's internal clock to start/stop chirping/singing as well as causing marine animals to continually beach themselves in droves.

reply to post by skycopilot


So that's something like 30 years ago, hmm interesting.

By the way, thank you for your service, Pensacola is a great place to be stationed