Great Tinamou, Eerie Voice in the Jungle
A flightless bird strides across the jungle floor…DownloadThe eerie sound of the Great Tinamou can be heard in the lowland jungle throughout much of Central and South America. Secretive — and almost...
View ArticleSyrinx and the Satyr
The “syrinx” — unique to birdsDownloadBirdsong owes its beauty and variety to a complex structure called the syrinx. The name comes from an ancient Greek story. Syrinx was a beautiful wood nymph, and...
View ArticleTweets 'n' Squawks: Learn How to Identify Birds by Song
Nothing signals spring quite like singing birds. As the length of days increase, male birds begin to sing to protect their territories from neighboring males and advertise their presence to nearby...
View ArticleSeagull Calling Contest
Cawing all "seagulls!"DownloadThere 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...
View ArticleDecoy - Shrike Trickery
Luring their supper in, with a songDownloadNorthern Shrikes are unapologetically cool, with their black masks, elegant gray plumage, and predatory lifestyle. But these little raptors, although...
View ArticleBirdsong Therapy
Listening to birdsong may make you healthier and happierDownloadWhere some noises — like TV, traffic and random conversations — can make it hard to concentrate, birdsong may make it easier. In Alder...
View ArticleMarsh Voices at Sunrise
The sounds of a summer morningDownloadIn 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...
View ArticleMountain Walk with Bird Songs
Discovering birds on a hike through the mountains of the WestDownloadA hike through the mountains of the West, from the lowlands to the rocky alpine zones, reveals an incredibly diverse array of...
View ArticleThomas Jefferson's Mockingbirds
Singing for a presidentDownloadMockingbirds, masters of mimicry, are prone to ramble on and on. Sometimes they even sing at night. Thomas Jefferson kept Northern Mockingbirds in his office and sleeping...
View ArticleWrens from North to South
These little brown birds are incredible singers!DownloadThere are nearly ninety species of wrens in the world, and quite a few are exceptional singers. Nearly all of them reside in the Western...
View ArticleDecoy - Shrike Trickery
Luring their supper in, with a songDownloadNorthern Shrikes are unapologetically cool, with their black masks, elegant gray plumage, and predatory lifestyle. But these little raptors, although...
View ArticleNew Sam Peabody
A sparrow changes its tuneDownloadIn late winter, White-throated Sparrows erupt into song, easily set to human words: “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” Or “Oh, sweet Canada, Canada, Canada.” But...
View ArticleGolden-crowned Sparrows in the Klondike
Those prospectors should have listenedDownloadWords help us identify birds by vocalizations. Like the towhee's "Drink your tea,” or the Great Horned Owl’s “Who’s awake? Me, too…” Then there are the...
View ArticleDecoy - Shrike Trickery
Luring their supper in, with a songDownloadNorthern Shrikes are unapologetically cool, with their black masks, elegant gray plumage, and predatory lifestyle. But these little raptors, although...
View ArticleTricolored Blackbirds Face the Future
Once plentiful, Tricolored Blackbirds are now listed by California as endangeredDownloadTricolored Blackbirds nest primarily in California, but smaller groups breed from the state of Washington to...
View ArticleGeese Aloft: Flock Voices of March
Geese are on the move northward in late winter and early springDownloadGeese migrate north between February and April, making stopovers along the way to rest and eat. Most are bound for their breeding...
View ArticleCranes' Voices Across the Globe
Few birds’ voices can evoke the spirit of the wild like the voices of cranes.DownloadThere are fifteen species of cranes across the globe, found everywhere but Antarctica and South America. During the...
View ArticleThomas Jefferson's Mockingbirds
Singing for a presidentDownloadMockingbirds, masters of mimicry, are prone to ramble on and on. Sometimes they even sing at night. Thomas Jefferson kept Northern Mockingbirds in his office and sleeping...
View ArticleCetti's Warbler
A secretive singerDownloadIt 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,...
View ArticleThomas Jefferson's Mockingbirds
Singing for a presidentDownloadMockingbirds, masters of mimicry, are prone to ramble on and on. Sometimes they even sing at night. Thomas Jefferson kept Northern Mockingbirds in his office and sleeping...
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