List of Bird Songs and their mnemonics for new BCN Monitors to know.
Woodland and savanna habitats
Eastern Wood-Pewee: “pee-a-wee”
Great-crested Flycatcher: “whee-ep”
Warbling Vireo: “If I sees you, I will seize you, and I'll squeeze you till you squirt”
Red-eyed Vireo: “here I am, where are you, over here, here I am”
Tufted Titmouse: “peter, peter, peter”
White-breasted Nuthatch: “yank, yank, yank”
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: “zpee”
Scarlet Tanager: like an American Robin with a sore throat, “chick-burr”
Eastern Towhee: “drink your tea”
Rose-breasted Grosbeak: like and American Robin that took singing lessons, “chink”
Cooper’s Hawk: “kack, kack, kack, kack”
Red-tailed Hawk: “keeeeeeer”
Red-headed Woodpecker: “squeer, squeer”
Red-bellied Woodpecker: “churr, churr”
Downy Woodpecker: “peek” descending whinny, higher than Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker: “pik” whinny
Northern Flicker: “wick-er, wick-er, wick-er”
Ovenbird: “teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher”
These 2 additional warblers are not essential, but would be good to know as they breed here:
American Redstart: “tzee-tzee-tzee-tzeeeo”
Hooded Warbler: “tawee-tawee-tawee-tee-o
Grassland, shrubland and edge habitats
Eastern Kingbird: “t-t-tseep”
Eastern Bluebird: “cheer, cheerful, charmer”
Gray Catbird: varied phrases seldom repeated and “meee-ew”
Brown Thrasher: paired phrases “drop it, drop it, cover it up, cover it up, I’ll pick it up, I’ll pick it
up”
Common Yellowthroat: “wichity, wichity, wichity”
Field Sparrow: like a ping-pong ball dropped on a table, increasing in rate and pitch
Savannah Sparrow: “take, take, take it eeeeeasy”
Song Sparrow: “maids, maids, maids, put on your tea kette-ettle-ettle”
Henslow’s Sparrow: “tsi-lick”
Grasshopper Sparrow: insect-like “kip-kip-kip, zeeee”
Sedge Wren: “chip, chip or chip, chip, chrrrrr-rr”
Indigo Bunting: “fire, fire, where, where, here, here, see it, see it”
Bobolink: bubbling, gurgling phrases “plink, plink”
Eastern Meadowlark: “spring of the year”
Brown-headed Cowbird: “bubble-zee”
American Goldfinch: “per-chick-a-ree” and in flight: “potato chip, potato chip”
Dickcissel: “dick, dick, cissel”
Blue-winged Warbler: “beee-bzzz”
Willow Flycatcher: “fitz-bew”
Orchard Oriole: rapid, warbling song with varied phrases
This additional warbler is not essential, but would be good to know as it breeds here:
Chestnut-sided Warbler: “pleased-pleased-pleased-ta-meetcha”
Wetland, marsh, swamp and waterside habitats
Eastern Phoebe: “feeee-bee”
Tree Swallow: liquid twitters
Yellow Warbler: “sweet, sweet, little more sweet”
Red-winged Blackbird: “conk-a-reeeeeeee”
Baltimore Oriole: flute-like “here, here, come right here, dear
Swamp Sparrow: musical trill, all on one note
Wood Duck: “jeeeee” female: “whoo-eeek”
Prothonotary Warbler: single pitch “zweet, zweet, zweet, zweet, zweet”
Belted Kingfisher: dry rattle in flight
Marsh Wren: fast, bubbly, gurgling ending in mechanical chatter that sounds like a sewing
machine
Human altered landscapes
Blue Jay: “jay-jay-jay” and “tweedle-a-dee”
American Crow: “caw, caw, caw”
Barn Swallow: liquid twittering “whit-whit”
Black-capped Chickadee: “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” and “cheezburger”
House Wren: gurgling, bubbling, exuberant song, first rising, then falling
American Robin: “cheer-up, cheerily, cheerio”
Northern Cardinal: “cheer, cheer, cheer, purty, purty, purty”
Common Grackle: high-pitched, squeaky
House Finch: warbling notes ending in”zree”
Canada Goose: “honk, honk, honk”
Killdeer: “killdeeeeer”
Mourning Dove: “hooo-ah, hoo, hoo, hoo”
Starling: wolf-whistle
Resources for learning songs:
Mnemonic bird song website: https://web.stanford.edu/~kendric/birds/birdsong.html
Mnemonic Bird song CD: “Bird Song Ear Training Guide: Who Cooks for Poor Sam Peabody” by
John Feith: http://www.caculo.com/birdsongs.htm Available from Amazon.