New research from Cornell University has uncovered why birds burst into song at daybreak. Scientists found that social factors, not just environmental conditions, drive this daily natural concert known as the dawn chorus. The study, published June 12, 2025, in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, challenges long-held theories about why birds sing at dawn. Researchers from Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics and Project Dhvani in India studied 69 bird species in India’s Western Ghats mountain range. “Our findings demonstrate that social factors, particularly territoriality and feeding habits, are more important … Continue reading Cornell Study: Birds Sing at Dawn for Territory Defense and Food Finding, Not Better Sound Transmission