When I was researching creatures that communicate over long distances, the song that reached the farthest was that of whales. So whales communicate through song. I guess the reason they are described as songs rather than sounds is because they contain parts that seem to be melodies and have repeated phrases. Songs seem to be an expression of emotion, a form of enjoyment, and a form of beauty, so if that’s how we perceive them, then they must be songs and not sounds.
bird song
Singing seems to be mostly for courtship. Phrases and motifs appear in bird songs too. Among birds, songbirds such as the Japanese bush warbler, nightingale, and Japanese white-eye are also called songbirds, and many species sing songs. Japanese bush warblers have their own songs for when they really need to sing, and canaries tend to forget how to sing, but bird songs also have a healing effect, and song is a mysterious thing.
Whale Song
Whales are divided into toothed whales such as dolphins and sperm whales, and baleen whales such as blue whales and humpback whales. Toothed whales sing by vibrating their heads, while baleen whales sing through a mechanism that is still unknown, and both are able to recycle air by circulating it inside their bodies. Their songs contain phrases and even sub-phrases, and can sometimes last more than 20 minutes, with the type of song differing depending on the region. They probably sing because it doesn’t seem to be just a way to communicate information.
Primate Song
Gibbons sing with a loud, clear voice that can be heard up to 2km away, and paired males and females sing in duets, each taking on a different part. They are born with the ability to sing, so it must be genetic. Indris are animals with a sense of rhythm, which is rare outside of humans. They communicate using songs that can be heard up to 3km away, and sometimes they even sing in duets. I wonder if duets are possible when it comes to primates.
Singing (Other)
Whether something is a song or a call may depend on how you judge it, but the chorus of frogs in breeding season and the sounds of insects in autumn are also said to be songs. If you include high frequencies and ultrasound, small animals and plants may also be singing, and if you include low frequencies and vibrations, rocks and stones may also be singing.
Great song
This is my personal opinion, but vocalizations other than those that are strongly and directly connected to life activities seem to be related to the expression of some emotion, or joy, fun, or beauty. I don’t know how to explain the existence of emotions, but if there is singing, there may be emotions. Songs are amazing. Earth’s concerts are amazing.
