Thursday, April 2, 2020

A to Z Joy: Birdsong


Keep a green tree in your heart, and perhaps a singing bird will ...

Birds have long been maligned for being dumb--hence the term "birdbrain"--but they're actually pretty smart. They can navigate thousand-mile migrations, they use tools, they solve problems, they recognize faces. And their songs for defending territory and attracting mates are complex. Interesting note: in temperate zones, the males sing and the females call; in tropical zones, males and females will often sing in "duet."

For today's purposes, I'll just mention how much I enjoy hearing my backyard birds sing, the occasional hooting of an owl if I'm very lucky, and even the screech of a blue jay.

Bird Academy has great resources about birdsong. And I'll leave you with this short clip:






8 comments:

  1. Love this. You ought to check out John Green's podcast episode (Anthropocene Reviewed) where he discussed the Kauai O'o bird and its bygone birdsong. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anthropocene-reviewed/episodes/anthropocene-reviewed-qwerty-keyboard-and-kauai-o-o

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation! I will check it out. I think the NYT did an article recently, too.

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  2. Replies
    1. It's snowing here today, so I'll take your word for it :-)

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  3. If you want to hear the most incredible birdsong, you have to listen to the Australian lyrebird. Here's a clip with David Attenborough - make sure you listen all the way through to hear just how remarkable these birds are!

    Lyrebird song

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    1. That is a truly amazing bird! And who doesn't love Sir David? Thanks for the clip!

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  4. Some birds are incredibly smart. Our front yard is full of magpies and crows. I love watching them!

    The Multicolored Diary

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    1. As I understand it, birds in the crow family--or corvids (not to be mistaken with Covid!)--tend to be very smart! I love the black and white of the magpies.

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