vocalization
Field NoteShow
Tricolored Blackbirds Face the Future
Tricolored Blackbirds nest primarily in California, but smaller groups breed from the state of Washington to Mexico's Baja California. They look a lot like Red-winged Blackbirds, except Tricolored males have dark red epaulets and white bars on their wings instead of scarlet epaulets and yellow... read more »
Topics & Themes: vocalization
Related bird: Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor)
Geese Aloft: Flock Voices of March
Geese migrate north between February and April, making stopovers along the way to rest and eat. Most are bound for their breeding grounds in the far north. But we'll hear them again soon, on their way back south in October. Click play and learn how to tell some North American species apart by... read more »
Topics & Themes: migration, vocalization
Related bird: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens), Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)
Birdsong Therapy
Where some noises — like TV, traffic and random conversations — can make it hard to concentrate, birdsong may make it easier. In Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, England, the sweet sounds of birdsong carry along the hallways. In an Amsterdam airport, a lounge plays bird sounds to help... read more »
Marsh Voices at Sunrise
In marshes across the country, birds awaken on a summer morning. Tall dense grasses and reeds often make marsh birds hard to see, but their voices carry easily across the lush, green landscape. You can hear birds like the Redhead, the Sora, the American Bittern, the Ruddy Duck, this Yellow-headed... read more »
Related bird: Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
Mountain Walk with Bird Songs
A hike through the mountains of the West, from the lowlands to the rocky alpine zones, reveals an incredibly diverse array of beautiful birds: Swainson's Thrushes, Pine Grosbeaks, American Pipits and so many more to be found. read more »
Topics & Themes: ecology, vocalization
Wrens from North to South
There are nearly ninety species of wrens in the world, and quite a few are exceptional singers. Nearly all of them reside in the Western Hemisphere, with the majority living in Central and South America. The White-bellied Wren ranks among the tiniest, at just under four inches, while the Giant... read more »
Related bird: Musician Wren (Cyphorhinus arada)
What does it take to record the world's birds?
What does it take to record the world's birds? BirdNote and Cornell Lab of Ornithology producer and photographer Gerrit Vyn take you deep into the Brazilian forest in search of the critically endangered Araripe Manakin — and deep inside the Lab's archive.By Gerrit Vyn, Mary McCann and BirdNote... read more »
Topics & Themes: behavior, birdwatching by ear, ecology, music, recording, science, vocalization
Seagull Calling Contest
There are more than two dozen species of gulls living in North America. Some people might dismiss them as just "seagulls." But not the people of Port Orchard, a small town on Washington State's Puget Sound. Each year, hundreds of people gather at the town's waterfront in late May for the annual... read more »
Topics & Themes: festival, humor, vocalization
Related bird: Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)
It took centuries to match the Cetti's Warbler, a secretive singer, to its disembodied song. In 1819 Italian naturalist Alberto della Marmora was walking along the River Var, in France, when he heard a song he thought he recognized. One well-aimed shotgun blast later, and he knew for sure. He... read more »
Topics & Themes: history, vocalization
Related bird: Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)
Playful Keas
Keas are large alpine parrots from New Zealand. Intelligent and social, they have olive-green plumage, a red rump, and a long, curved beak. Keas produce a distinct warbling call, a "play call," that sounds — and functions — much like a human's contagious laughter. Scientists made recordings of... read more »
Topics & Themes: recording, vocalization
Related bird: Kea (Nestor notabilis)