Are there any large birds that sing melodiously? If not, why not?
• Singing is used to attract mates and assert territorial ownership. The largest birds, such as emus and ostriches, are flightless. Advertising their location by singing would be a poor survival strategy. The largest flying birds tend to be raptors. These have large territories, so singing is an impractical way to communicate. Other large flying birds such as geese and ducks tend to be non-territorial and often congregate in flocks. Here it would be harder to distinguish the sound of one bird, again making singing impractical.
For smaller territorial birds that don’t gather in large numbers, the two major tactics for attracting mates and guarding territory are either song or colourful displays of plumage. Few birds do both well, although the superb lyrebird of Australia, which is about the size of a pheasant, is a candidate.
Advertisement
Simon Iveson
Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
We pay £25 for every answer published in ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ. To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.
Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format.
You can also submit answers by post to: The Last Word, ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ, 25 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ES.