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Olivier Messiaen, whose centenary is celebrated this year, believed birds were the best musicians and went to great lengths to steal their tunes for his work, pianist Thérèse Fahy tells Arminta Wallace

AS I SIT at the computer typing these words, a bird is singing merrily outside the window - a delightful sound on a dreary, drippy autumn day. But is it, strictly speaking, music? That's not the only question raised by the flutings of our feathered friends. If birds sing primarily to find mates or to mark out territory, then why does one bird suddenly go nuts in October, when the mating season is well and truly over? Come to think of it, why do some birds engage in elaborate curlicues, trills and improvisations at any time of year, when a short, sharp shriek would probably do the evolutionary trick?