This is Bird Note.

This rollicking song belongs to a black-headed grosbeak.

Like most birds, the male grosbeak begins singing in earnest a few days after reaching his traditional nesting grounds in spring.

And like most birds, he sings frequently when trying to attract a mate.

He'll sing a bit less while he and his mate incubate eggs, but pick up the pace again after the young hatch.

By late summer, his singing will cease. Ever wonder how much a bird sings in one day? Some patient

observers have shown that a typical songbird belts out its song between

1,000 and 2,500 times per day. Even though most bird songs last only a few seconds, that's a lot

of warbling. On nights with a full moon, male sage thrashers have been known to proclaim their

long-winded songs all night.

But the North American record holder may well be the red-eyed Vireo.

One such Vireo delivered its short song over 22,000 times in 10 hours.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.