The Guardian

Why do birds suddenly appear? You asked Google – here’s the answer | Susanna Rustin

Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queries
‘The song (They Long to Be) Close to You, which was a huge hit for the Carpenters, opens with the words: “Why do birds suddenly appear / Every time you are near?”’

Perhaps some people Google this question in search of an explanation for the sudden appearance of birds – before an electrical storm, say, or on the second day of Christmas. Most, though, are looking for Burt Bacharach’s famous song, using its first line rather than its clumsy title: (They Long to Be) Close to You. The song was a , and the question it opens with – “Why do birds suddenly

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