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This week's LabZone activity
Feb. 4, 2004
Bird Songs and Calls
The sounds birds make are a familiar—and often beautiful—part of our daily lives, and they have a special meaning for many people. Flocks of honking geese tell us winter is on the way, and forecast spring's return. Owls can sound spooky, and mourning doves sad.
Bird sounds are a form of communication. However, the meaning they have for us can be quite different from the meaning they carry for birds! It takes careful watching and listening, as well as some imagination, to figure out what a bird is "saying."
Calls and songs
Birds make different kinds of sounds. Calls are usually short, simple sounds, and they are made by males, females, and young birds. An individual can make a variety of different calls, and each sends a particular message to other birds. When a nestling peeps, for example, its parents feed it. The peeping seems to say "Feed me!" Ducklings often call as they swim or walk near their mother, and their mother calls back. These calls probably help a family of ducks stay in touch with one another, as if each member were continually saying "Here I am—over here." If one duckling gets separated from the group, it calls more loudly and frequently. Its mother responds to its distress call by coming near. The honking calls of migrating Canada geese may serve a similar purpose—they help the members of a flock stay together, but not so near they might collide.
 | Canada goose and brood. | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
Birds call at all times of the year. Their calls can help members of a family or flock recognize one another, sound an alarm when danger is near, or warn intruders away from a territory, perch, or feeding area. The "language" of a particular species may include as many as twenty-five distinct calls! Listen closely to the birds that are most common in your neighborhood, and see how many different calls you can recognize.
Bird songs are usually longer and more complicated than calls. Each species has a distinct song, and you can learn to recognize it by particular note patterns, or phrases, that are repeated each time the song is sung. You will hear different variations of a species' song, though, because one individual may sing a little differently than another, or sing many versions of the same basic song. Of course, a bird can recognize its species' song, too, and use it to identify members of its own species.
Most singing birds are males. During the breeding season, a male's songs may attract a mate, or help him establish and maintain his territory. Early in the season, some males spend half of each day singing, and repeat their songs over a thousand—or even two thousand—times! The females of some species also sing, but they do not sing as often as males do. In some species, males and females sing duets. Many birds seem to know their songs instinctively; they can sing the song typical of their species even if they have never heard it before. Others learn their songs.
Ways to learn about bird songs and calls
- Go for an early morning bird walk, and see how many different sounds you can hear. Try listening at other times of day, as well, for some birds are noisiest in the evening, or at night.
- Keep track of the time of year when you hear a particular song. This will help you learn when various species are breeding.
- When you hear a bird song or call, try to find the bird that made it. Watch to see how other birds nearby respond. Over time, you may be able to figure out what sounds are made by a particular species, and what they mean.
- Check out a tape recording of bird songs from your public library, or buy one. If you hear a familiar song, you can listen to the tape, and match up the way birds look with the way they sound.
- Try making your own bird recordings with a portable tape recorder. You'll get the best results with nearby birds that make relatively loud sounds.
- Describe the birds songs you hear in a notebook. Some people find that putting words to bird songs helps them remember and recognize them. The white-throated sparrow sounds as if it's singing "Oh, Sweet, Canada Canada Canada" or "Oh, Sam, Peabody, Peabody, Peabody," while the Carolina wren says "Teacher teacher teacher," and the barred owl says "Who cooks for you?"
- Some birds will respond when you imitate their songs with your voice or a wooden bird call. Birds may respond to tape recorded songs as well.
From Ornithology by Ellen Doris. Photography by Len Rubenstein. © 1994 Thames & Hudson Inc. (thamesandhudsonusa.com). Reprinted by permission of Thames & Hudson.
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