Bird Songs

hernesheir The ivory-billed woodpecker produced a nasal "hant", "kint", or "kent" likened by Alexander Wilson to the sound of a toy tin trumpet, and by Audubon to a clarinet. Kint was a local nickname for the bird. Jan 4, 2012

ruzuzu Fantastic list! Jan 4, 2012

fbharjo pointe vierge- 2:15 am the first chirps of the waking birds mark the the "pointe vierge" of the dawn - thomas merton ' conjectures of a guilty bystander' Jun 14, 2009

sarra This is consuming my afternoon, I'll have you know. Nevertheless, I'm compelled to continue (although having got out one of my older bird books I realise I can't possibly be exhaustive, and moreover, shouldn't). R. & A. Fitter in 1981 describe:

the Canada Goose's call as “a loud double-trumpeting ker-konk”
the Wigeon's as whee-oo, while the buzzard pee-oos
the Garganey drake's spring call as having “been likened to a single match rattling in a match-box”
the Quail (as below) as singing wet-mi-lips or quic-ic-ic
the Partridge as keeving or heev-iting
my phonemic favourite, the Golden Plover — tlui
the Curlew singing cooorwee cooorwee and quee quee quee
the Sandwich Tern kirricks while the Roseate Tern aach aachs
the way to distinguish a Woodpigeon (or Ring Dove) from a Collared Dove being that one coo-coo-coo, coo-coos while the other more persistently gives a coo-cooo-cuh. The Turtle Dove gives “a soothing” turr turrr

(another bonus: the Hedgesparrow or Dunnock is described as having “a rather flat little warble”)

Great Tit: “Best-known call a loud teacher teacher, also one like a saw being sharpened.”
the Marsh tit “[h]as characteristic pitchüü and chicka bee bee bee calls”
the Yellowhammer is “well known for its monotonous, high-pitched song, usually rendered as a little bit of bread and no cheese” Nov 12, 2008

sarra

Birds are able to distinguish details in the utterances of their own kind better than we can. A Garden Warbler in good voice can be mistaken for a mediocre Blackcap but the birds themselves are not deceived. … However, most call-notes are distinctive to out ears and even moe so to the birds. The Chaffinch's pink, the Goldfinch's soft switt-witt-witt-witt and the Bullfinch's quiet, piping contact call reveal unmistakably the identity of the birds; so with the caw of the Rook, the snarl of the Carrion Crow, the harsh chatter of the Magpie and the Jay's raucous scream…

The calls uttered by a number of species of small birds when a hawk or falcon flies over are so similar that they constitute a general warning — a thin, high whistle… This seeet note is difficult to locate and therefore does not betray the position of the caller…

The Oropendola… males act as sentinels and sound a loud cack-cack-cack when a raptor appears…

The male usually ‘makes the going’ but either sex of the Great Tit may invite copulation, giving a high-pitched zeedle-zeedle-zeedle-zee… Among Herring Gulls the female usually takes the initiative in pair-formation, walking round the male with her neck drawn in and occasionally giving a melodious kleeoo as she tosses her head… The Greater Honeyguide is exceptional. He perches on a favourite tree and reiterates his loud whit-purr and vic-tor calls every minute or so for about eight hours day after day…

Often our first intimation that a party of Long-tailed Tits is around is hearing their conversation consisting of variouscalls — tupp tsirrup and a high-pitched zee-zee-zee…

A Blackbird gives a tchook note [on discovering a predator]…

In Trinidad a tyrantbird, the Kiskadee, enquired with exasperating regularity for hours on end outside my window in French: ‘Qu'est-ce qu'il dit?’—‘What is he saying?’…

If it calls pitchew it is a Marsh tit…

…corcorovado, corcorovado … is sung by a pair of Marbled Wood Quail, one singing corcoro, the other vado…

The Heron… constantly repeats a sharp barking call, ank…

The Greenshank's song-flight involves soaring and circling while making the sky ring with piping too-hoos… The Spotted Redshank [cries] chup chup chup…

The Yellow Wagtail [courts with] a sree-sree-sree…

The Hawfinch accompanies her [pre-coital] wing-fluttering with a wheezing zee-zee…

Whitethroats utter tick notes… as the birds move along a hedgerow in a loose group…

Newly fledged [Blackbird] emit a subdued reereeree…

…the Corncrake… reiterates its Latin name Crex crex, and the Quail… ‘wet my lips’…

— Edward A. Armstrong, Discovering Bird Song, Shire Publications Ltd. 1975.

There's a delightful, idiosyncratic arbitrariness to all of these — except the “phrase” ones which have become culturally embedded. I love them all. Nov 12, 2008

oroboros Thanks mollusque, I've added you to contributors.:o) Nov 4, 2008

mollusque Sweet-sweet! Nov 4, 2008

reesetee Ooh! Almost forgot about this list! Nov 4, 2008

bilby More, more! Nov 4, 2008

oroboros Thanks reesetee! Mar 19, 2008

reesetee It's true; this list has been sadly neglected. I'll get right on it. :-) Mar 19, 2008

oroboros You're right roseandivy. If you're interested I can open the list to you. Imagine trying to capture the multitudinous melodies of say, a mockingbird! Mar 19, 2008

roseandivy Great idea for a list! But it craves expansion. :( Mar 19, 2008