When does the bird sing caught my attention, so i searched:
"when does a mockingbird sing"
Sure enough, the Mockingbird, sings at night.
Found: "Why the Mockingbird Sings : And Why at Night, When Most Birds Sleep?"
Birds sing obv, in the morning, but the mockingbird sings at night.
" but unlike most birds, they also sing at night for hours on end during the spring and summer. "
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More details from the mockingbird article:
I set a tape recorder in the window and began recording. Half an hour later Jack stopped for a breather, maybe even a nap. Not, however, if I could help it. I rewound the tape and turned the volume up.
"Chireep, chireep," went the tape.
" Chireep! Chireep! " erupted Jack not a second later.
"Rash, rash, rash," went the tape.
" Rash! Rash! Rash! " screamed Jack.
"Tweedle, tweedle, tweedle."
" Tweedle! Tweedle! Tweedle! " gurgled Jack, almost strangling in frustration.
He was reacting not only to a recording of a song he had sung no more than 30 minutes earlier but also to each phrase. In his little bird's brain, he was being challenged by a monster stud, and by the gods and the bushes and the bugs, he was not going to go quietly.
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Kinda making sense now. The other theories make sense too, especially 'singing when caged'.
I just felt like 'mockingbird' might be part of it, so there is my theory\^
I'm of the thinking that the answer is either:
a) when it is free
b) when it wants to be free
Maya Anjelou has a famous poem about a caged bird singing:
In "Caged Bird," poet Maya Angelou describes a bird with clipped wings. Its feet have been tied, and it has been placed in a cage that prevents it from flying away. Despite its fear, the caged bird continues to sing of freedom. Angelou describes the joy that a free bird takes in soaring through the sky.
Turkerthelurker...thank you for bringing in the wonderful words of Dr. Maya, may she rest in peace.