How to Learn Bird Songs and Calls

How to Learn Bird Songs and Calls

You can only see straight ahead, but you can hear all directions at once. Learning bird songs is a great way to learn about birds hidden by thick foliage, distant birds, nocturnal birds and the like. In fact, when biologists count birds in the field, the vast majority of species are heard rather than seen.

Learning calls and songs helps you in two ways: firstly, you can get a quick overview of what's going on before you even leave the car park. And secondly, when you hear something you don't know, you know where to draw your attention.

Owls and nightjars are clear examples of how useful hearing is for identification. Another good example is a dozen confusing flycatchers of the Empedonax family. These birds look so much alike that it is sometimes difficult to identify them, even in the hands of a flock of birds with an accurate set of measuring calipers. But all that doubt disappears as soon as they open their mouths.

Five tips for beginners

Look and listen

When you see a bird singing, the relationship between the bird and the song tends to stick in your mind.

Learn from an expert

It is much harder to learn bird songs from scratch than it is to reference them to another bird. Find a nearby bird club or Audubon branch and go on a field trip.

Listen to recordings

Start by listening to recordings of birds you see often. Play it often until the sounds stick. This online bird guide contains over 600 audios to listen to, and thousands more are available in a searchable format in the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You can also purchase regional audio guides produced by the Macaulay Library or you can use the free Merlin Bird ID app to listen to bird songs and calls just about anywhere.

say it yourself

Some songs almost sound like the lyrics: who can mistake "Who's cooking for you all?" for the forbidden owl. Mnemonics can make a song so memorable.

Banned owl "Who's cooking for you?"

Details, details, details

Break down the song into its various attributes, including tempo, pitch, tone and repetition. . When listening to birds when studying sounds, categorize the songs into different categories as shown below

Using the voice identification feature of Merlin Bird ID

Record the birds singing around you and let Merlin help you decide who is singing. Merlin gives you real-time information about who is singing to help you identify more birds. Find out more about Merlin Sound ID.

How to listen to a song

When you first hear the dawn chorus in full swing, the onslaught of sparrows can be overwhelming. How do you distinguish between the chirps, whistles and trills that echo through the woods? 

Don't try to memorise every song you hear. Instead, focus on one sound quality at a time. Many birds have a distinct rhythm, tone or pitch to their song. Once identified, you will have a better idea of the bird's identity. When you combine these traits, you can refine things even further. Here are some examples:

Rhythm

Get used to the characteristic rhythm of birds. Marsh wrens sing quickly, while white-throated sparrows are quieter.

Fast and chaotic: March Rain

Slow and quiet: White-throated sparrow

a field

Most birds sing in a distinct range, with smaller birds (such as the cedar waxwing) generally having higher vocalizations and greater pitch and larger birds (such as the common raven) generally having deeper voices. The pitch of the pitch varies from bird to bird, like the shrill song of the Prairie Warbler or the quiet, descending whistles of the Gorge Wren.. Some birds stand out for their regular sound, such as the Chipping Sparrow.