Starlings are especially astute imitators of bird sounds that have a whistled feel — like the sound of a Killdeer or quail. They can duplicate a car alarm or phone ring, too.
By rubbing its special club-shaped secondary wing feathers against one another at the dizzying speed of 107 times per second — the fastest limb movement yet observed in a vertebrate — the Club-winged Manakin is able to produce a bizarre electronic-like sound.
Northern cardinals make a range of sounds as part of their typical vocalizations and songs. They also mimic other animals and human noises. Frequently, people have been known to mistake the sound of a cardinal for things like beeping fire alarms, smoke alarms, and car alarms.
A Curl-crested Jay reveals its hidden talent for mimicking cyber sounds.
Buzz. Ruby-throated and black-chinned hummingbirds can produce a buzz, “a persistent vibratory sound,” with their wings. Other birds, like the black-throated green warbler and the northern parula, sing with a distinctly buzzy quality.
A flat-headed, short-tailed little sparrow of the fields, the Grasshopper Sparrow may go unnoticed even when it is singing, because its song is much like the buzz of a grasshopper. The birder who learns this sound may spot the bird perched on a weed stalk or the lowest wire of a fence.
For example, a seet is the universal danger call made by birds and small mammals. Chickadees, it turns out, chirp about predators a lot. In fact, their name comes from the warning call they make when they see a suspicious character lurking around the neighborhood: Chickadee-dee-dee-dee-dee.
The African grey parrots (Psittacus) are particularly noted for their advanced cognitive abilities and their ability to talk. There are two commonly kept species of which the Timneh parrot (Psittacus timneh) tends to learn to speak at a younger age than the Congo parrot (Psittacus erithacus).
The Juniper Titmouse sings a rapid and rolling series of 5 to 15 syllables that sounds almost like a video game. Their rapid-fire song lasts about 3 seconds. Juniper Titmice sing all year, but sing more frequently in the spring and summer months.
This extraordinary footage captures the stunning 'laser' sounds created by a male lyrebird. The 'lasers' are the first part of a four-section repeating sequence that sees the male lyrebird stand on a mound he has found or creates.
The white bellbird, native to the Amazon rain forest, has the loudest recorded call of any bird: 125 decibels, or roughly as loud as a rock concert. It uses this call not for long-distance communication or to intimidate predators but to woo potential mates.
The adorable Quaker parrots, also known as Monk parakeets, have long been prized for their talking talents and charming personalities. Quakers are able to build quite large vocabularies, and some Quaker owners swear that their birds are even able to use their words in context.
They spend winters across the southern US, Mexico, and Central America. Watch for these tiny birds in the trees, constantly flicking their wings. Male kinglets will sometimes sing in the winter—their song sounds like a typewriter typing (you show your age if you know that sound!).
To communicate with each other through dense vegetation American Bitterns use low-frequency calls, which carry farther than higher-pitched sounds. During breeding season the males make a bizarre, resonant three-syllable pump-er-lunk call with a liquid quality; females may respond with a similar but quieter sound.
June brings a special treat—the flute-like songs of thrushes. What's amazing is that the thrush sings a musical series—and this songster can easily sing over 50 distinct songs!
Quick, alert and sensitive, the Barred Buttonquail (Turnix suscitator) marks its presence with a loud call that sounds like a motorbike engine at a low pitch.
Tufted Titmouse. The Tufted Titmouse is another common backyard bird whose high-pitched song includes several clear notes that sound like human whistling. In fact, this bird's name comes from the tuft of feathers on its head, which makes it look like it's wearing a tiny titmouse hat!
The research is clear and documented: birds do recognize human faces and voices. They can even differentiate between us.
Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between 28–42cm in length and weigh around 300g. They are best known for their human sounding laughter.
Spotted Catbirds are named for their bizarre cat-like wailing calls (some say it sounds more like a baby crying!)
In fact, the White Bellbird has the loudest bird call ever documented, according to a paper published today in the journal Current Biology.
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds make an insectlike, metallic trill with their wings while flying that can be quite loud. The trill has a cricketlike quality to it and sounds like a cricket might sound if it were zooming around in flight.
American Robins often make a mumbled cuck or tuk to communicate with each other or a sharp yeep or peek as an alarm call. They also make a repeated chirr that rises in volume and can sound like a laugh or chuckle.