Do You Recognize That Song?

RECOGNIZE what song? Some popular song from the past? Yes, songs from the very distant past, possibly the oldest songs ever heard on earth. What are they? Birdsongs.

Many people identify birds by their colors, their design, their flight pattern, and their nesting habits. But have you ever listened carefully in order to identify birds by their songs?

With some birds this is quite easy, since they do not have much variety in their calls. Take the mischievous crow, for example. Although one of the most intelligent of birds, its raucous “caw, caw” identifies it immediately. Rooks are also noted for their noisy cawing presence. Another bird, whose woeful call can drive you crazy at night, is the whippoorwill. Its name echoes its call, which seems to go on endlessly, especially when you want to sleep.

In contrast, “marsh wrens often have repertoires of more than 100 songs; mockingbirds, 100 to 200. One brown thrasher displayed more than 2,000 songs”!—Audubon, March-April 1999.

It is usually the males that sing, to mark out a territory and attract females. However, at times, some females join the avian chorus. This is true of Baltimore, or Northern, orioles, cardinals in North America, and rose-breasted grosbeaks.

Do you know the birds in your part of the world? In many countries, recordings of birdsongs are available that could help you to recognize birds by their calls. You can even buy clocks that mark each hour with the song of a different bird. At least you would learn 12 calls pretty quickly!

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Marsh wren

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Rose-breasted grosbeak

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Cardinal