Birdsong for the
Curious Naturalist

62. Flight songs of ovenbirds.

7. When to Sing, and How
Night singing
From page 129 in the book.

Flight songs of ovenbirds. The flight song of ovenbirds remains largely a mystery. Oh, sure, it has been described by an ornithologist as occurring mostly around dawn and dusk, sometimes in the night, but that's about all we know. The best way to find out would be to document the pattern of its use throughout the breeding season (though I realize that's a lot of work!). From first arrival of males to courting a female to egg-laying to incubation to caring for the young to migrating south again, exactly when and how often during then esting cycle do males engage in these flight songs? Documenting patterns of use would be the first step toward understanding the functions of this fascinating behavior.