how to describe the sound of birds

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How to Describe A Bird Sound in Six Easy Steps

  • If you can, make an audio recording. Use your cell phone. Use your camera on the video setting. Use a cheap voice recorder. Use your laptop. Use any device that can possibly record sound. It’s okay if you don’t have one, but if you can record audio in any way, you should do Step 1 before moving on to Step 2!
  • Count the notes. (Note if they are moving too quickly or in too many numbers. ).
  • Figure out which notes are repeated, if any. (Keep in mind that trills are composed of notes that are repeated too quickly to count.) ).
  • Jot down nonsensical terms (onomatopoeia) that have the same sound as the bird’s speech. Avoid using actual words or phrases as much as possible. If you deviate from the accepted usage of English, you’ll probably end up sounding more like the original. Take your time and make an effort to accurately capture the original content in the transcription.
  • Compare the sound you’re hearing to similar sounds. These sounds could be either bird or non-bird sounds, such as “like an electronic video game,” “like a robin song, but without any pauses,” or “like the squeak of a shoe on a gym floor.” Spend some time on this as well, and if at all possible, make several comparisons.
  • Sketch the sound. Draw a line that rises if the sound’s pitch rises. If it continues to descend, draw a downward-pointing line. You get the idea. Write every note exactly as it sounds in your ears on the page.

So, for the record, that’s

  • Audio
  • Count
  • Repeat
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Similar
  • Sketch

Or ACROSS for short.

OK, I know, that’s cheesy. But really, these are the actions that need to be taken in the field. Don’t stop at one step; complete them all! Test these steps with common birds. Try them on unfamiliar birds; I’ll be pleased to assist you in interpreting the results. Try them when documenting rarities.

To describe bird sounds, you don’t need to be musically trained, know a lot of jargon, or employ “conceptual frameworks”; all you need to do is sit down and take your time, carefully following each step. It will alter your listening habits and the way you discuss what you hear.

Hoot is an imitative word, similar to many other words for bird calls, including several on this list. An “imitative” or “onomatopoeic” word (e. g. buzz) tries to capture the sound it describes. Hoot, therefore, sounds like the natural throat noise made by certain owls when spoken aloud. Try it! Barred owls and great horned owls are the only owl species that hoots, as we’ll see below.

“To show emotion (such as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound” is one definition of laughing. Since it would be anthropomorphism to attribute emotion to birds like the common loon and laughing gull, the definition of “to produce the sound or appearance of laughter” in our dictionary makes more sense.

“To sing in a trilling manner or with many turns and variations” is the definition of warble. Because of the high caliber of (many of) their songs and calls, a family of North American birds known as the Parulidae is collectively known as the New World Warblers. The Louisiana water thrush, a warbler, not a thrush, is known for its humorous song, which is frequently heard in the early springtime next to swift-moving streams.

A trill can be defined as “a sound resembling a musical trill” or as “the alternation of two musical tones a diatonic second apart.” The wood thrush’s flute-like trill is arguably the most exquisite song of any bird in North America. Not too bad, either, is the descending trill of its relative the veery.

A screech is a “high shrill piercing cry. One of the most well-known avian screams is that of the red-tailed hawk, which you may be familiar with from television programs and motion pictures that amplify its call above that of the bald eagle to give the national bird a more intimidating voice. The barn owl is another screecher, and its rough cry may make you feel hair stand up on the back of your neck.

FAQ

What is a word to describe the sound of birds?

A chirp is the short, high sound a bird makes. The chirps of the robins at your bird feeder through the open window might drive your cat crazy. Birds chirp — you could also say they tweet, twitter, cheep, and warble — and some insects chirp too.

How would you describe birdsong?

Birdsong is also known as the vocalization of birds. It incorporates both bird calls and birdsongs or melodies. In non-specialized use, bird tunes are the bird sounds that are sweet to the human ear.

How do you describe a bird in writing?

Birds are very special animals that have particular characteristics which are common amongst all of them. For instance, all of them have feathers, wings and two legs. Similarly, all birds lay eggs and are warm-blooded. They are very essential for our environment and exist in different breeds.

How would you describe a bird whistle?

For example, only sounds in a certain pitch range can be described as whistled, and we tend to call lower-pitched whistles “rich” or “full”, and higher-pitched whistles ”thin” or “squeaky”.