The aim of this book is to gradually familiarize the reader with the native songbirds and their songs. It also demonstrates the musical qualities that our songbirds have developed, how they use them, and the social functions that bird songs serve. Walther Streffer, who has studied bird songs on excursions around the world for over forty years, describes bird song not only as a vital function for breeding and food defense or for attracting females. He particularly aims to illustrate that, beyond biological necessities, there is a certain degree of autonomy in the songs of our songbirds. The one-sided view of territory defense is expanded and complemented by the more colorful aspect that there are not only fighting rivals, but that neighboring territories also interact on the level of song quality.