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  • Written by Chris Lituma, Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, West Virginia University
Birding by ear: How to learn the songs of nature’s symphony with some simple techniques

Waking up to the dawn chorus of birds – one of the natural world’s greatest symphonies – is a joy like no other. It is not surprising that bird-watching has become an increasingly popular hobby[1].

A simple way to start bird-watching[2] is to buy a feeder, a pair of binoculars and a field guide, and begin watching birds from your window.

However, one of the most rewarding ways to identify birds is to listen to them and learn to recognize their songs.

As an ornithologist and educator[3], I often introduce students to the intricacies of bird songs, and I have developed some tricks that can make birding by ear less daunting.

Watch the American robin, a common songbird, singing it’s song and making calls.

Learning to listen

Learning bird songs is the difference between “hearing” and “listening.”

Listening requires full attention and limiting distractions. It means using your ears to pick up different patterns in the sounds that birds make. Every person has the capacity to listen and learn patterns in sound.

If I were to sing “da-da-da-DUM” most people would immediately recognize it as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5[4]. Alternatively, if I were to play the first few notes or beats of your favorite song, I’m certain you would know what it was and who sang it.

A wood thrush can sound like it’s saying “Frit-o-LAY.” To remember, you can picture a thrush eating Fritos. Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The ability to recognize bird songs uses the same part of the brain[5] you use to recognize songs on the radio – the supratemporal, or auditory, cortex, an area just above the ears where your brain processes language and sound.

When you’re birding by ear, you use the same skills as when you’re recognizing music; listening to sounds, patterns, changes in pitch, in tone and in volume, but in nature rather than in music.

Watch a tufted titmouse sing “peter, peter.”

You can do this.

To begin learning to recognize bird songs, select two to three common bird songs that you hear frequently around your neighborhood.

Sometimes there are mnemonics that you can use[6] to help remember the songs. For instance, the tufted titmouse[7] says “peter, peter, peter” over and over. Sometimes it sings it fast, sometimes slow, but always “peter, peter, peter.” Whereas the Carolina wren[8] says, “tea kettle, tea kettle, tea kettle”.

A barred owl hoots, ‘Who cooks for you?’

Songbirds aren’t the only birds with helpful mnemonics. Next time you hear a hooting sound, if it sounds like “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all,” that’s a barred owl[9].

Why and how songbirds sing

Watching the actual bird sing its song is one of the best ways to learn the bird and song together. Find a tufted titmouse[10] and watch it sing “peter, peter, peter,” and you will remember it forever.

Try going out into the woods with your binoculars and following unfamiliar sounds.

Many species make unique sounds as they sing, chirp, hoot, screech or whistle. They vocalize like this for a variety of reasons – to attract a mate[11], defend a territory, alert other birds to threats, or to locate other individuals to form flocks or groups.

A white bellied bird with grey and black markings, and a bird with a rufous and white belly and bright blue wing and tail markings feeding on grains from a hanging feeder
A white-breasted nuthatch and eastern bluebird feed from a bird feeder. Philippe Gerber/Moment via Getty Images Plus[12]

Songbirds, such as the tufted titmouse and northern cardinal[13], are the group that ornithologists associate most with complex songs. They tend to have multiple notes and patterns that change in pitch and speed, rather than simple one-note or two-note calls.

These birds have a unique voice box called the syrinx[14], which translates to “double flute” in Greek and allows them to create two sounds at once[15].

How songbirds sing.

Birds learn their songs in multiple ways.

Songbirds are born with an innate “template[16],” which tells them the basics for the song to sing. But they also learn from listening to adults. Studies have found regional dialects of birds’ songs[17] and evidence that some birds learn songs from their parents while still in the shell[18]. Sometimes they learn songs from neighbors[19], who usually end up becoming competitors for territory.

Human activities can affect birdsong

Human behaviors can also affect how birds sing.

Studies have found that, in some instances, background noise can weaken[20] territorial responses in males. And light pollution[21] in suburban areas can prolong singing by up to an hour.

‘Rachel Carson and Silent Spring,’ an American Experience Documentary from PBS.

In 1962, scientist and conservationist Rachel Carson wrote the book “Silent Spring” after noticing how quiet the spring had become when the bird migration would normally be underway. The pesticide DDT had weakened egg shells, triggering a sharp decline in many bird populations[22]. Many scholars and historians identify this book as leading to the creation[23] of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Richard M. Nixon in 1970.

Getting started birding by ear

As you start learning bird songs, technology can come in handy[24]. There are now dedicated apps, such as Cornell University’s Merlin[25], that can help you recognize bird songs as you are listening to them.

However, human abilities still outperform this technology[26], so use apps as a learning tool, not a crutch.

Visualizing the sound of birds as you learn. Cornell Lab of Ornithology

As humans, we have long depended on our ability to communicate with each other. I think we relate to birds because they are such vocal creatures too.

Learning their songs is a lifelong endeavor. Once you start tuning into the natural world, you’ll realize that there is something new waiting to be discovered.

References

  1. ^ increasingly popular hobby (www.fws.gov)
  2. ^ start bird-watching (www.audubon.org)
  3. ^ ornithologist and educator (scholar.google.com)
  4. ^ Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 (www.youtube.com)
  5. ^ same part of the brain (doi.org)
  6. ^ mnemonics that you can use (www.allaboutbirds.org)
  7. ^ tufted titmouse (www.youtube.com)
  8. ^ Carolina wren (www.youtube.com)
  9. ^ barred owl (www.youtube.com)
  10. ^ tufted titmouse (www.youtube.com)
  11. ^ attract a mate (doi.org)
  12. ^ Philippe Gerber/Moment via Getty Images Plus (www.gettyimages.com)
  13. ^ northern cardinal (www.youtube.com)
  14. ^ unique voice box called the syrinx (academy.allaboutbirds.org)
  15. ^ create two sounds at once (doi.org)
  16. ^ born with an innate “template (psycnet.apa.org)
  17. ^ regional dialects of birds’ songs (www.audubon.org)
  18. ^ while still in the shell (doi.org)
  19. ^ learn songs from neighbors (doi.org)
  20. ^ background noise can weaken (doi.org)
  21. ^ light pollution (doi.org)
  22. ^ sharp decline in many bird populations (www.pbs.org)
  23. ^ leading to the creation (blog.nixonfoundation.org)
  24. ^ technology can come in handy (youtu.be)
  25. ^ Merlin (merlin.allaboutbirds.org)
  26. ^ human abilities still outperform this technology (doi.org)

Authors: Chris Lituma, Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, West Virginia University

Read more https://theconversation.com/birding-by-ear-how-to-learn-the-songs-of-natures-symphony-with-some-simple-techniques-260874

Metropolitan republishes selected articles from The Conversation USA with permission

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