Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Home
Today's Show: Spring Brings New Bird Songs
House Finch perched on branch, looking over its shoulder showing red-colored head and throat
Listen In
  • Today's Show
  • Listen
    • Daily Shows
    • Threatened
    • Grouse
    • BirdNote Presents
    • How to Listen
  • Explore
    • Field Notes
    • Sights & Sounds
    • Birdwatching
    • Resources for Educators
  • How to Help Birds
    • At Home
    • In Your Community
    • Success Stories
  • About
    • The BirdNote Story
    • The Team
    • Partners
    • For Radio Stations
    • Funding
    • Contact Us
    • FAQs
    • Support BirdNote
  • Donate

What Bird Has the Coolest Song?

What's your favorite bird song?
Subscribe to the Podcast
Download
  • Share This:
  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to Email
© Idie Ulsh

There are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world, and each has a unique song. When we recently asked, "Which bird makes the coolest sound?" over 50 species were nominated! So which bird received the most votes? The Common Raven landed at number three, with the Western Meadowlark just ahead in second place. But with twice as many votes to firmly establish itself as number one: this Swainson's Thrush.

  • Full Transcript
  • Credits

BirdNote®

What Bird Has the Coolest Song?

Written by Adam Sedgley

This is BirdNote.
There are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world, and each has a unique song.  We recently reached out to our fans on Facebook and our Weekly Preview email list to ask, “Which bird makes the coolest sound?”
Over 50 species were nominated, from the comical Willow Ptarmigan of Alaska and western Canada [Willow Ptarmigan] to the melodic Spot-breasted Oriole, a bird of Central America introduced to the Miami area in the 1940s [Spot-breasted Oriole].
Australian BirdNote fans placed two species in contention: the Eastern Whipbird [Eastern Whipbird] and — arguably the world’s best mimic — the Superb Lyrebird [Superb Lyrebird].
The Tui (pronounced TOO-ee), a honeyeater from New Zealand with two voice-boxes, garnered a nomination [Tui].
Tropical birds our listeners nominated as dandy songsters are the startling Capuchinbird (pronounced CAP-ooh-chin-burd) [Capuchinbird] and the Montezuma Oropendola [Montezuma Oropendola].   
So which bird received the most votes [for making the coolest sound?] The Common Raven landed at number three [Common Raven], with the Western Meadowlark just ahead in second place [Western Meadowlark].
 But with twice as many votes to firmly establish itself as number one:                 [Swainson’s Thrush], the Swainson’s Thrush. [Swainson’s Thrush]
Do you agree? Come to birdnote.org to cast your vote! [Swainson’s Thrush]
###
Sounds of the birds provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Willow Ptarmigan, Common Raven and Swainson’s Thrush recorded by G.A. Keller; Western Meadowlark by W.R. Fish and G.A. Keller; Spot-breasted Oriole by G.B Reynard; Tui by M.D. Medler; Capuchinbird by B.J. O’Shea; and  Montezuma Oropendola by C. Duncan.         
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2010 Tune In to Nature.org           August 2010

ID#        sound-10-2010-08-27          sound-10

Adam Sedgley
Writer
Michael Stein
Narrator
Idie Ulsh
Photographer
Support More Shows Like This
Tagsvocalization Ptarmigan

Related Resources

Swainson's Thrush - More at All About Birds

More About These Birds

Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)

Catharus ustulatus

Sights & Sounds

Related Field Notes

February 10, 2020

Tweets 'n' Squawks: Learn How to Identify Birds by Song

By Adam Sedgley
Nothing signals spring quite like singing birds.
December 18, 2017

What does it take to record the world’s birds?

By Gerrit Vyn

Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it.

Support BirdNote

  • Daily Shows
  • Field Notes
  • BirdNote Presents
  • Sights & Sounds
  • About BirdNote
  • Contact BirdNote
Sign up for our newsletter!
  • BirdNote on Facebook
  • BirdNote on Twitter
  • BirdNote on Instagram

Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.

  • Privacy Policy