What the Robin Knows: Bird Language Audio Library

Typical song: rhythmic, melodic phrases

Whinny calls: may be used when agitated, in aggressive encounters, or as a mild alarm

Peek! and tut! alarms: used as alarm calls, often near nest (can also be used as aggressive voice in intraspecies encounters)

High seeee alarm: an alarm call made in proximity to an aerial predator (usually hawk); the high-pitched call is difficult to locate

Typical song: a high, metallic trill (sometimes confused with chipping sparrows)

Two-parted song and chips: a variation on a typical song, then contact calls

Kew-kew-kew: calls often used during and after aggressive encounters

Tsit! Tsit! Tsit! alarm: subtle, quiet alarm vocalizations of the Junco

Typical song: usually begins with 2 to 3 clear notes, then a complex array of notes follows

Chip calls: calls often used as an alarm call or when agitated

Seep calls: high, clear contact calls used in families and flocks

Zee calls: calls given by fledglings

Song: regional variation of song is normal in this species

Variation on song: males have a complex repertoire; here’s an example with nasal notes

Alarm: listen to the harsh, raspy notes of this alarm call

Calls: often vary by age and gender

Song: this classic loud, clear song says “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle”

Song: another typical variation says “che-wortel, che-wortel, che-wortel”

Song with female chatter: a male sings while a female pipes in with raspy calls

Ti-dink! calls: loud notes used as contact calls between birds

Dit-dit alarm: urgent alarm calls given by females

Male alarm: persistent, raspy calls like this mean trouble for the wrens

Song: an example of this unique outburst of song

Alarm: persistent, raspy, scolding alarm calls sound similar to other wren alarms

Song: a wavering series of melodic notes (variation in song is normal with this species)

Alarm: loud tschat! calls indicate trouble is nearby

Aggressive chatter: used when combating others of its kind

Male songs: a wetland chorus of conk-a-ree

Female calls and song: chack calls and high-pitched chatter song of females

Contact: loud chack! calls used within the flock

Cheer alarm: one of many loud, whistled alarms given by red-wings

Song: examples of loud, clear whistles of cardinal songs; variation is common

Chit and song: typical contact calls, then a “cheer-cheer, whoit, whoit …” song with a “chrrrr” call at tagged into the end (the chrrrr is likely meant a as display of fitness, as it’s believed to be a very sound difficult to make

Alarm: tink! alarm calls (louder and more urgent than chit call notes)

Songs: two examples of their song

Mew and chip: Mew call used for a variety of purposes (as an alarm when scolding or mobbing, as a contact call when feeding, and in some male-to-male aggressive situations). Chip calls usually given in moderately alarming situations (e.g., handling by humans)

More mew and chip calls: slightly different variations of #36

Song: examples of this loud, complex song from one of the tiniest birds in North America

Chi-dit calls: used mostly as a contact call (both in flight and when perched); also used occasionally in aggressive male chases

Song: examples of one of the most celebrated songs of all North American songbirds

Chup-chup and vreee: the functions of these calls are not entirely known, but the chup-chup is often an alarm used in hostile situations, while vreee may be both an alarm and a contact call

Weeh: this raspy vocalization is mostly used by agitated birds as an alarm call

Song: this easily recognized whistle song says “Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada”

Seep and pink!: the quieter seep vocalization is used mostly as contact call; the louder pink! is primarily a general alarm call (but can be heard when going to roost as well)

Song: typical long, warbling song of the American Goldfinch

Po-ta-to-chip: a contact call given both in flight and when stationary

Bay-bee: an alarm call, given by distressed birds, often at or near the nest. Also mixed in are nasally “what-the-hell” calls, also made by the goldfinches

Chip-pee: a begging call given by persistent fledglings as they follow parents around

Song: the song of the black-capped chickadee is a loud, clear, whistled fee-bee

Chick-a-dee: a variable vocalization with multiple functions, including predator mobbing (in this case, the more dees at the end, the more threatening the predator); as an “all clear” call after the predator has left; or as a food source is located

Alarm: a small flock of chickadees vocalizes in the presence of a sharp-shinned hawk. Listen for all the high-pitched see and rapid fire zap notes mixed in with chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee (up to 9 dees in this example) alarm calls

Kill-deer: known primarily as a flight display call often in alarm situations, sometimes simply as an assembly call

Te-dit-dit: an alarm call given by wary birds; often head bobbing is associated with this call

Deet!: an alarm call given by birds on the ground, usually near nest

Agressive trill: a sputtering alarm call given by a bird chasing predator from nest

Assembly or rally call: a common call, chi-CA-go, usually given more than 10 times

Pit-pit-pit: an alarm call given when a predator is detected; can be mixed in with a rally call

Bob-white!: made mostly by unmated males in the spring (like a “song”)

Scatter call: one of the most common contact calls used to locate and coordinate movement of flock members

Alarm: bobwhites use a variety of alarm calls, starting softly and increasing in frequency and intensity as a predator draws nearer

Alarm: in this example, the crows are mobbing a human (who is making field recordings of birds)

Alarm: here the crows are mobbing a red-tailed hawk

Jeer: used as a contact call as well as in mobbing and other alarming situations. Gradation of calls, ability to mimic, complex vocal abilities, and large vocabulary make classification of Blue Jay calls very difficult

Red-Tailed Hawk call: here the Steller’s Jay mimics the call of a red-tailed hawk. Exact function is unknown, but it’s often given by a hidden bird, maybe to manipulate other wildlife

Alarm: the alarm begins with owl vocalizing and bill snapping (agitation), then magpie scolding calls, more owl hoots, magpie scolds, and so on

Terrestrial threat: a repeated loud, sharp chip!-chip!-chip! warns of ground predators and threats

Aerial threat: a repeated low, dull cluck-cluck-cluck warns of aerial predators and threats

Chip! trill: usually given by a chipmunk diving for cover from threat

Various calls: begins with scold sequence alarm, followed by territorial chatter (also known as chatter-trill), interspersed with whining calls given in social encounters

Harsh nasal calls: used as both an alarm and in nonthreatening social situations

Social calls: typical squeaky, wheezy social calls of prairie dogs

Alarm: typical high-pitched barks of agitated prairie dogs

Alarm: a deer snort sequence, then snorting while bounding away

Alarm: a mockingbird mobs a barn owl while making harsh, raspy vocalizations

Alarm: with a Coopers Hawk nearby, a purple finch belts out a very strange alarm—a vireo song