Topics
Bird sounds and species named after sound | ||
| babbler (chatterer) | large family of bird species. Example: the gray-crowned babbler (Australia), also sometimes called the "yahoo", after one of its calls. The name babbler or chatterer may be because of the birds' continuous raucous babbling/chattering when in groups. link | |
| beep | bird vocalization (nonspecific), "Beep beep!" is also the signature call of the Road Runner character (a bird) in the Looney Tunes cartoons | |
| bellbird | (Anthornis melanura) bird species found in New Zealand. Maori language name Korimako. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song that was much noted by early European settlers. It has a bell-like song. link | |
| bobolink | bird species named by their typical call. link | |
| bob-white | any of a genus (Colinus) of quail; especially : a popular game bird (C. virginianus) of eastern and central North America having mottled chiefly reddish-brown plumage | |
| boom | 1. to boom: verb for the sound produced by the (male) bittern, a bird species, to attract the females and establish their territory. each male has a unique voice. the boom of the male bittern is the lowest-pitched and the most far-carrying song produced by any European bird. It can be heard up to 5 km away in the right weather conditions. link, 2. the more common meaning is of course that of a deep, hollow sound, explosion. also: blam, badaboom, baroom, kaboom, sssshblamm, kapow | |
| cackle | to cackle, verb for the sound made by a hen after laying an egg | |
| caw | bird vocalization, usually a raven or crow | |
| chachalaca | see "plain chachalaca" | |
| cheep | bird vocalization (nonspecific) | |
| chiffchaff | name of bird species, named by its song. link | |
| chickadee | any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Poecile of the family Paridae) that are related to the titmice. link | |
| chirp, chirrup | bird vocalization (nonspecific) | |
| chitter | to twitter or chatter (high-pitched sounds), as a bird (nonspecific), or raccoon | |
| chough | genus Pyrrhocorax of birds in the Corvidae (crow) family. now universally pronounced 'chuff'. However it probably originally rhymed with "how", as 'chow' is a reasonable representation of its call (according to this website). link1 (white-winged chough), link2 (red-billed chough) | |
| chuck-will's-widow | (Caprimulgus carolinensis) nocturnal bird of the nightjar family Caprimulgidae, similar to the whip-poor-will, found in the southeastern United States near swamps, rocky uplands, and pine woods. It migrates to the West Indies, Central America, and northwestern South America. voice: Call a loud "Chuck-will's-widow," with the first "chuck" being quiet and inaudible at a distance. link | |
| clack | 1. chatter, prattle 2. to make an abrupt striking sound or series of sounds 3. bird vocalization, especially fowl: cackle, cluck | |
| clang | 1. loud ringing metallic sound 2. harsh cry of a bird (as a crane or goose) | |
| cluck | 1. bird vocalization: the peculiar sound of a brooding hen 2. To make a clicking sound with the tongue | |
| cock-a-doodle-doo | call of a rooster, usually in the morning, see special page | |
| common poor-will | (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars, found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico. Call: a loud "poor-will." link | |
| coo | bird vocalization, characteristic note of doves and pigeons | |
| crow | to crow, to utter the cry of a rooster | |
| curlew | any of various largely brownish chiefly migratory birds (especially genus Numenius) having long legs and a long slender down-curved bill and related to the sandpipers and snipes. name is imitative of the sound it makes. link | |
| currawong | see "pied currawong" | |
| cuckcoo | cuckoo, bird species Cuculus Canorus, named by its cry. Also, a type of clock named after the bird. link1 (bird) link2 (clock) | |
| dickcissel | name of bird species (Spiza americana). small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. voice: From an open perch in a field, this bird's song is a sharp "dick dick" followed by a buzzed "cissel", also transcribed as "skee-dlees chis chis chis" or "dick dick ciss ciss ciss". link | |
| eastern phoebe | (Sayornis phoebe) small passerine bird. This tyrant flycatcher breeds in eastern North America, although its normal range does not include the southeastern coastal USA. It is migratory, wintering in the southernmost USA and Central America. Voice: Song is two rough, whistled notes, "fee-bee" with the second note rasping or with a stuttered, more whistly second note "fee-b-be-bee." Call note a clear chip. link | |
| eastern whipbird | (Psophodes olivaceus) bird species found in eastern Australia. The Whipbirds' long "whip" call, one of the most characteristic sounds of the Australian bush, is performed as a duet. The male makes the drawn out whip crack and the female usually follows quickly with a sharp "choo-choo". link | |
| finch | name for a family of passerine birds (fringilla), whose call is often written as "fink fink", "pink pink", or "spink spink" link. may be of imitiative origin | |
| flap | 1. a blow, 2. noise of a bird's wing in motion, 3. to strike with something flexible or broad | |
| flutter | to flap wings rapidly, float to and fro | |
| gaggle | the chatter or cackle of geese | |
| gobble | bird vocalization, typically a turkey | |
| gray-winged trumpeter | (Psophia crepitans) bird species found in South America, whose song is a low humming, but its call, as its name suggests, is a very loud JEEK or honking TZAAK, which may be the reason for the name "trumpeter". This bird is kept as a pet by Amerindians, since it is easily tamed, hunts snakes, and is a very efficient sentinel, with its unmissable alarm call. link | |
| great kiskadee | passerine bird (Pitangus sulphuratus) found in southern Texas and middle and south america. this bird is a flycatcher. the voice is described by some sources as dee-kis-ka-dee, by others as BEE-tee-WEE. The latter gives the bird its name in different languages and countries: In Brazilian Portuguese the birds name is bem-te-vi, or bien-te-veo (spanish) meaning ("I've spotted you!"). In El Salvador the bird is known as Cristofue, and in Paraguay as pitogüé. In French it is called tyran quiquivi. link1, link2, video | |
| honk | 1. bird vocalization (goose), 2. car-horn | |
| hoo hoo | bird vocalization: the cry of an owl, also: hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo, twit twoo | |
| hoopoe | name of bird species. imitative origin, but the hoopoe's call is actually a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop". link (video) | |
| hoot | bird vocalization, usually the cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo | |
| kea | (Nestor notabilis) name of a parrot species found in the mountains of New Zealand. Raucous cries of "keeaa" often give away the presence of these highly social and inquisitive birds. link | |
| killdeer | bird species named by their typical call | |
| kite | old english name for bird of prey, usually a small hawk - probably imitative of its shrill plaintive cry | |
| knot | bide species, see "red knot" | |
| kut-kut-kut | sound of a hen, clucking ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema) | |
| moan | 1. long low inarticulate murmur, 2. (less common) word describing the sound of doves (as in "The moan of doves in immemorial elms" in the poem from the poem "Come Down, O Maid" by Alfred Lord Tennyson) | |
| mopoke | bird species also called Morepork, in Australia, two bird species known elsewhere as the tawny frogmouth. link | |
| morepork | bird species also called mopoke or frogmouth | |
| northern flicker | bird species name (Colaptes auratus). medium-sized member of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, is one of the few woodpecker species that migrates, and is the only woodpecker that commonly feeds on the ground. The song of the Northern Flicker is a loud wick wick wick wick or (according to some sources) a squeaky flick-a, flick-a as in it's name. link | |
| pee-oo-wee | bird species name, especially the eastern wood pewee. link | |
| pewee / peewee | Any of eight species of birds of the genus Contopus (family Tyrannidae); it is named for its call, which is monotonously repeated from an open perch. In North America a sad, clear "pee-oo-wee" announces the presence of the eastern wood pewee (C. virens), while a blurry "peeurrr" is the call of the western wood pewee (C. sordidulus). link | |
| pewit / peewit | subfamily of birds also called Lapwing. Also: any of several related plovers. link | |
| phoebe | see "eastern phoebe" | |
| pied currawong | (Strepera graculina) large, mostly black bird, with a bright yellow eye, found in Australasia. voice: The main call is a loud "currawong", which gives the bird its name. Other frequent sounds include deep croaks and a wolf whistle link | |
| pip | 1. to peep or chirp, as a chick does. 2. A short, high-pitched radio signal | |
| plain chachalaca | (Ortalis vetula) a large bird in the Cracidae family. The call is a loud, raucous "RAW-pa-haw" or "cha-cha-LAW-ka", often by several birds in a rhytmical chorus. link1, video | |
| quack | bird vocalization, cry of a duck | |
| red knot | (Calidris canutus) is a medium sized shorebird. name may be imitative of the birds vocalization, since it is sometimes described as a soft "knut", or a soft "quer-wer", though usually the bird is silent. link1, link2 | |
| screamer | any of a group of South American bird species (Horned Screamer, Crested Screamer, and Black-necked Screamer) with a loud high-pitched call, which may explain the name. link | |
| skraww | bird vocalization (nonspecific) | |
| sora | (Porzana carolina) A small, secretive bird of freshwater marshes, the Sora is the most common and widely distributed rail in North America. voice: Call is a long, high descending whinny. Also a two-noted "sor-AH" call, with second note higher. link | |
| squawk | cry of a bird (nonspecific) | |
| terwit terwoo | bird vocalization, the cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, whit woo, twit twoo | |
| trill | quavering or warbling in singing | |
| trumpeter | see "gray-winged trumpeter" | |
| tu-whu | bird vocalization, the cry of an owl. also: hoot, hoo hoo, terwit terwoo, twit twoo, whit woo | |
| tweet | bird vocalization (small bird, otherwise nonspecific) | |
| twit twoo | bird vocalization, cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo, whit woo | |
| to utter a succession of light chirping or tremulous sounds, chirrup | ||
| veery | (Catharus fuscescens) bird species belonging to the larger group of thrushes. voice: Song a resonating, ethereal "da-vee-ur, vee-ur, veer, veer," descending slightly in pitch. Call note is a nasal "phew" or "veer" link | |
| waak | bird vocalization, cry of a duck | |
| whip-poor-will | bird species noted for its call. link | |
| whit woo | cry of an owl. also: hoo hoo, hoot, tu-whu, terwit terwoo | |
| whooping crane | bird species name, the tallest North American bird, an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound and call | |
| willet | bird species (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus). a large sandpiper of the interior West (north america) and the ocean beaches, the willet is known by its piercing calls and bright black-and-white flashing wings. Call: a loud, ringing "pill-will-willet.". link | |
| yahoo | see "babbler" | |
| yip | cheep, like a bird (nonspecific) | |
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