A few days ago someone asked about birds singing at night. For daytime singers, it’s not just the hint of dawn. This is an excerpt from another blog, compiled by Devorah Bennu, GrrlScientist, and always interesting:   Songbirds in cities are damaging their health, exposing themselves to predators and weakening their gene pool by trying to be heard above the din of urban life. New research shows that male birds trying to compete with traffic and city sounds are singing louder and at increasingly higher frequencies, which could harm their vocal cords and hearing. As a result their songs are becoming more chaotic and less diverse, which makes them less attractive to female birds and damages their mating opportunities. Some birds, including robins, are choosing to sing at night instead of during the day. This not only makes them more vulnerable to attack but, because the birds need to be awake in daylight hours to feed, creates stress and exhaustion. (From The Guardian newspaper in Great Britain.)   The blog address is  http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/06/bird_sin_the_news_137.php   

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