Topic
Songs & Calls
Many birds are heard long before they are seen, and some are almost never seen at all. Learning to identify birds by ear can double the number of species you notice on a walk. Songs are usually longer and used to attract mates and defend territory. Calls are shorter and used to keep contact, warn of danger or coordinate flocks. Both give clues to species. The best way to learn is to start with a few common local birds, listen for rhythm, pitch and quality, and connect sounds to the bird you see. Phrases and mnemonics can help, as can recordings played at home. The guide on learning bird songs and calls gives a step-by-step method. Species pages on this site describe voices in words, though we do not provide audio. Please do not play recordings in the field to draw birds out, since this can disturb feeding and nesting, particularly for rare or stressed birds. Quiet patience works better. For related skills, see bird identification and the birding basics hub.
Guides
Voice notes by species
First impressions from each species page. Open the page for the full description.
- American Goldfinch: The flight call is a bouncy per-chick-o-ree or potato-chip, given on the upswing of each dip in the flight path.
- American Robin: The song is a flowing, whistled carol of short phrases that rise and fall, often written as cheerily, cheer-up, cheerio.
- Anna’s Hummingbird: Anna’s is one of the more vocal hummingbirds.
- Bald Eagle: The Bald Eagle’s voice surprises many people because it is weak and thin for such a large bird.
- Barn Swallow: The song is a long, bubbly twitter of liquid notes, chatters and rattles, often ending in a dry, buzzy trill or a rising “zhzhzh.” Common calls are a sharp “kvick-kvick” and short chirps given in flight, and an alarm call when a cat or a hawk is near.
- Belted Kingfisher: The classic kingfisher sound is a loud, dry rattle that carries across the water and often announces the bird before it appears.
- Black-capped Chickadee: The name describes the call: a buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee, with more dee notes added when the bird is excited or alarmed.
- Blue Jay: The best-known call is a loud, harsh jay!
- Brown Pelican: Brown Pelicans are quiet birds for most of the year.
- Canada Goose: The Canada Goose is famous for its deep, rich honk, often given in two parts as a rising “ah-honk.” Flocks in flight produce a constant chorus, with individual birds calling back and forth, which helps keep the group together.
- Downy Woodpecker: The most common call is a short, sharp “pik,” often given repeatedly.
- Eastern Bluebird: The song is a soft, burbling warble, often phrased as “chur-lee, chur-lee” or a quiet, flowing series of liquid notes.
- Great Blue Heron: The voice is not musical.
- Great Horned Owl: The classic call is a series of low, soft hoots with a rhythm of roughly five notes, where the second and third are shorter than the rest, often written as hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo, hoo.
- Greater Roadrunner: Roadrunners are not loud singers, but they make a surprising range of sounds.
- House Finch: The song is a long, bright, warbling series of notes, canary-like but without clear trills, often ending in a buzzy zeee or a downslurred note.
- Mallard: The female gives the famous loud, descending quack, usually a run of several notes that gets slower and quieter at the end.
- Mourning Dove: The song is a soft, slow coo that gives the bird its name, often written as “coo-OO, coo, coo, coo.” It carries across a yard on still mornings and is sometimes mistaken for an owl, though it is higher and gentler.
- Northern Cardinal: The song is a clear, whistled series of slurred notes, commonly written as cheer-cheer-cheer or what-cheer, birdie-birdie-birdie, which may speed up or slow down.
- Northern Mockingbird: The song is a long, varied string of musical and harsh phrases, each usually repeated three or more times before the bird switches to something new.
- Osprey: The Osprey’s call is a series of loud, musical chirps and whistles that often seem surprisingly small for such a big bird.
- Red-bellied Woodpecker: The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a talker.
- Red-tailed Hawk: The classic call is a harsh, drawn-out, descending scream, often written as “kee-eeeer,” that lasts two or three seconds.
- Red-winged Blackbird: The classic song is a liquid, gurgling “conk-la-reee!” or “oak-a-lee,” with a metallic trill at the end, delivered from a cattail or a high perch.
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird: The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is not much of a singer.
- Sandhill Crane: The Sandhill Crane’s call is a loud, rattling, rolling trumpet, often written as a long "karr-r-r-r-o-o-o." It sounds like a wooden rattle and carries for miles.
- Song Sparrow: The song is a musical, varied phrase that typically begins with three or four short, clear notes, often written as sweet sweet sweet, and then slides into a buzzy trill or a jumble.
- Steller’s Jay: The most common sound is a harsh, falling series, usually written as "shack-shack-shack" or "chook-chook-chook." It also gives softer, lower "shook-shook" calls, and it can mimic the scream of a hawk well enough to fool people on the trail.
- Western Meadowlark: The song is a rich, flute-like series of gurgling and bubbling notes that usually slides downward, and it carries a long way over open country.
- White-breasted Nuthatch: The best-known call is a nasal, repeated yank-yank, often rapid and slightly rough.