Expert: Julia Booth - 12/16/2009

Question
Hello! We have sparrows living in the vines and bushes around our building. I feed them daily, and have received much enjoyment from watching them. I own a harpsichord, and have noticed that the birds living in the vines outside our windows get quite lively when I play. They chirp and hop around in a great commotion, and if I just trill high notes, they'll actually come to the window, look in, tilt their heads, crane their necks, etc. as if trying to see where the sound is coming from. Do they think birds are making the music? Could it possibly be upsetting to them or are they enjoying it? They don't seem agitated, just excited and curious. Happens every time I play.

Answer
Birds love music and sounds of all kinds. Because hearing is generally their strongest sense, i tends to be how they communicate with one another. Statistics show that birds who live in the city where there is more noise, actually sing louder than those who live in rural areas.

It's not upsetting them. They're just excited. I think it's great. My mother-in-law's parrot loves ABBA and Pavarotti.

Enjoy!


Julia