Identifications by Sound

(based on Birding by Ear)

There are four weekly assignments.

Each week, instead of a quiz on sight identifications, we will have a quiz on sound identifications.

Borrowing Birding by Ear

You may borrow one of the copies of Birding by Ear overnight.

     Sign and date the checkout sheet.

     Return the CDs the next day so that someone else can use them.

Do not wait to the last minute (there are not enough copies for everybody to take one at the same time!)

Hints for Sound Identification

Identifying birds by their sounds is like identifying them by sight -- you have to learn the field marks -- the features that distinguish each species from all others.

The booklet that accompanies the Birding by Ear disks points out the field marks that you should listen for.

The birds included in the first assignment include three groups, each with some similarities in songs. In each case, field marks can separate the songs of similar species.

For more help, see Recognizing Songs and Calls of North Carolina Birds .

Here are some www sites that have examples of bird songs ...

North American birds (USFWS Patuxent Research Center)
Florida birds
New York State birds
Bird songs and calls from around the world (including eastern U.S.)!
Cornell's Lab of Ornithology
eNature (easy to use, but simplified)
What bird? (ditto)
Lots more bird song links

And here is another useful site ...

Mnemoics for North American bird songs

First assignment

Second assignment

Third assignment

Fourth assignment