Identifying Garden Birdsong — Spot Birds By Call

Identifying birds by their appearance can be hard enough, but birds are timid creatures and often the only possible means of identification is through their song.   

All leading naturalists agree: there is no better place to observe, or become an expert on, wildlife, than in one's own garden. With lots of wildlife observation, identification by sound is unimportant or irrelevant but this is not the case, of course, with birds.The RSPB-organised Big Garden Bird Watch took place across Britain again this year, on January 30/31. It's an annual mid-winter, nationwide check to get an idea of whether common bird populations are increasing or decreasing. But whilst identifying common garden birds by their appearance is relatively simple, particularly with a guide in hand, for the amateur birder a frequent problem with this and other bird observation is that birds often reveal themselves by sound alone. And when it comes to identifying even the most common bird songs, many avian observers get stuck. Not only, therefore, is identifying bird song incredibly enlightening, but being able to do so correctly also has an impact on how organisations keep tabs on bird populations.It is notoriously difficult to describe birdsong in words but the following guide aims to give the prospective birdwatcher an outline of what to "listen" out for.

Bird Songs and Calls

The important and interesting distinction to be aware of when listening to birds is the difference between call and song. Bird calls are generally for communication with other birds, and being less melodious are noticed less in the wild. Bird song has the purpose of attracting a mate or, on occasion, defending territory. David Rothenberg's Why Birds Sing is a deeper, and fascinating look into the motivations birds have for singing, and the resultant melodies.

Identifying the Blackbird Song

The Blackbird has the most melodious and distinctive songs of any common British garden bird. The blackbird's throaty warble was traditionally to help it find its mate in thick woodland. It's the males that have the fine voices: listen out for the varied warbling combined with high trills (a "sreeee sreeee" sound) that form the different parts of blackbird song. The Beatles' song Blackbird from the White Album has a good rendition of blackbird song at the beginning.

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Identifying the Chaffinch Song

The song of the chaffinch takes the form "chip-chip chirichiri". The "chip-chip" sound decrescendos, becoming faster until the "chirichiri" at the end.

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Identifying Different Robin Songs

When one hears a robin, it is as often the voice as the song. The voice takes on an abrupt, rapid "tk-tk-tk", whereas the song progresses into a richer warble. The robin also sings all year round, as song plays a pivotal role in defending territory. Song usually comes from an obscured perch amidst foliage or branches but is interesting in its alternation throughout the year: springtime sees the robin's voice at its most cheerful and powerful, whilst the autumn/winter song is lower and more mournful.

The Common Nightingale, Luscinia megarhynchos, is not only a common bird; it's a well-known songster and subject of traditional tales all over the world.

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Identifying the Blue Tit Song

Blue Tits are visually distinctive, and it is easy to get to recognise their song, similar to its voice in its "tsee tsi-tsi-tsi" format. The longer notes of the bird song always come first, followed by the more rapid notes.

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Identifying Other Bird Song

• Starlings sing with a mix of rattles and whistles, and will often mimic other birds.
• Song thrushes sing in short, sharp bursts of song. They are declining in numbers and more identifiable by their song now than ever, which often takes the format of bursts of three distinct notes, then progressing into repeated trills and then high cheeps. More than most birds, it can mix up several different kinds of notes.

The advent of the Internet has meant that anyone can become a fount of knowledge on bird song. Websites such as birdjam.com have a huge selection of bird song samples to help identify birds by their sound alone.