Early this morning, long before dawn, I was awakened by the clear staccato tweeting of a male northern cardinal outside my window. I didn’t bother trying to go back to sleep, since I was soon wide awake as I imagined the bright red bird calling in the darkness and wondered what reason there could possibly be for its solo performance so early in the day. I got up, made myself a cup of coffee, and pondered the puzzle, arriving finally at two good reasons. First, bright red male cardinals are easily spotted by predators such as cats, hawks, and snakes. Therefore, early morning when it’s too dark to be spotted by predators is a perfect time to sing. Second, a nearby highway in daylight hours produces loud background noise in my neighborhood, so in the still air before dawn the cardinal’s calls are louder and travel further.
June 23, 2022
June 23, 2022
June 23, 2022
Early this morning, long before dawn, I was awakened by the clear staccato tweeting of a male northern cardinal outside my window. I didn’t bother trying to go back to sleep, since I was soon wide awake as I imagined the bright red bird calling in the darkness and wondered what reason there could possibly be for its solo performance so early in the day. I got up, made myself a cup of coffee, and pondered the puzzle, arriving finally at two good reasons. First, bright red male cardinals are easily spotted by predators such as cats, hawks, and snakes. Therefore, early morning when it’s too dark to be spotted by predators is a perfect time to sing. Second, a nearby highway in daylight hours produces loud background noise in my neighborhood, so in the still air before dawn the cardinal’s calls are louder and travel further.