Bird Talk, Chitchatter, & Calls

Birds are talkative animals, often calling (quite loudly) to one another. But what exactly are they saying?

Here are some birds you may hear in the GBBR, and what they are talking about.

1.    Black-capped chickadee
The famous chick-a-dee-dee call is an alarm used to tell other chickadees of nearby danger. The closer a predator gets, and more dee notes a chickadee will add to its call.


2.    Pileated woodpecker
While they can sing, woodpeckers will drum on wood to establish territories. Woodpeckers even drum on the sides of houses and metal signs, because while the noise this creates can be annoying to people,
 it sounds great to a woodpecker! You’ll know you’re listening to a pileated woodpecker if you hear a slow, powerful drumming.


3.    Common loon
If you hear a high, wavering call, a loon is sounding an alarm. Loons use long, haunting wails to tell other loons where they are.

If you hear bird song and want to figure out who you’re listening to, an amazing resource is The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This site gives you tons of information on different kinds of birds, and you can even listen to their calls!

Let us know if you hear any interesting bird songs this summer!

Here’s to soaring hawks and nature walks!