Birding 101: Backyard Bird Songs Identification Challenge
From the three-note call of the American goldfinch to the duet of cardinals sitting outside your window, bird songs are one of the universal signs of spring. And when spring rolls around, people begin to hear the familiar chatter of birds they have come to recognize over many years.
Birds can be easily spotted in spring, but this becomes more of a challenge as summer leaves cover tree branches where they perch, feed or build nests. But this does not prevent their sounds from being heard far and wide. Birds have two main vocal cues: songs and calls. At first, it might be hard to tell the difference, but both cue different things.
Songs are primarily used to attract mates, establish territory and synchronize breeding behavior. Calls are used more casually; they signal danger, give directions and help female birds locate their young. Birds of the same species can also sound different between regions. With practice, anyone can become a birder and tell the difference between songs.
Take a few moments to listen for these birds in your urban or suburban neighborhood:
Easy
● Black-capped chickadee: Their habitat range stretches from Boston to Oregon. With their distinctive two-note call wee woo or cheese-burger, these little guys are hard to mistake! (Fun fact: their famous chick-a-dee-dee-dee call is used by both males and females to communicate and heard more in fall and winter.)
● Blue jay: Blue jays are found along the eastern half of the U.S. and southern Canada, from the Atlantic coast to eastern Texas, Kansas, Minnesota, and Manitoba. These birds are also territorial. Known to mimic hawks, they have a signature, high-pitched jay call.
● White-breasted nuthatch: Repetitive one note songs wa wa wa that can be heard on the East coast, West coast, and throughout the Midwest. Their calls differ whether the bird is from one of these regions.
●Tufted titmouse: With its signature peter peter peter song, tufted titmouse can often be quickly identified. These birds also have a wide habitat range, stretching from southern Maine to Florida to central Texas.
● Chipping sparrow: Aptly named for their repetitive chip song, chipping sparrows can be found all over North America.
Medium
● American robin: These gray and rust-colored beauties can live anywhere from Alaska to Mexico, depending on the season. They tell the forests to cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up with their signature song.
● Northern mockingbird: They can be difficult to identify because they are notorious for mimicking the bird songs around them. Sometimes they even mimic frog calls! Their songs go through a series of key changes as well. These can range from a tweedle dee tweedle dee to a high-pitched squawk so und when disturbed.
● Northern cardinal: Cardinals sing in a series of quick, single note chirps. Sometimes they can even sound like a human whistling. They do not migrate, and their vibrant color sharply contrasts with white winter snow.
● Baltimore oriole: From late April to early May, the Baltimore oriole whistling two-note song can be heard from the north Atlantic coast to the Midwest. This quick two-note song is usually repeated multiple times. Their sharp chuck call follows a similar pattern.
Difficult
● Downy woodpecker: This bird has two distinctive sounds: one is a single note squeak, and the second is a rapid, high-pitched drumming sound. The distinctive drumming sounds of woodpeckers mark their territories and attract mates. While they also make tapping sounds while searching for insects, each woodpecker species has a distinct drumming cadence they make for advertisement purposes.
● Song sparrow: Like the northern mockingbird, the song sparrow goes through a series of key changes. After two to four clear-tone notes or chirps, the bird quickly transitions into a flutter of trill chirps. Because of their sound range, song sparrows might vary in sound between regions.
● American goldfinch: This bird can be found in any part of the United States, contingent on the season. Their quiet, three-note song po-ta-to can be easily drowned out by a forest filled with harmony. Males use a tee-hee call to signal to breeding females.
The Service’s Urban Bird Treaty Program partners with U.S. cities to support local community and educates citizens n the importance of protecting native species, reduce urbanization, bird conservation. There are currently 30 cities participating.
Read more to find out if the program is in a city near you.
If you are interested in learning more about bird call recognition, visit the www.allaboutbirds.org to become more familiar with calls in your neighborhood.
Disclaimer: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not responsible for content posted on non-USFWS websites, nor are links to any non-federal channels an endorsement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, or U.S. federal government.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service included hyperlinks to the All About Birds website solely for the limited purpose of providing additional information about bird songs. The Service does not endorse other information, appeals, or other content that may be included on the websites.
