Conservation

Birding by Ear

There's a lot to look forward to in spring for birders.

The flowers are blooming, old friends are returning,  and birdsong is at its peak. The sheer volume of songs and calls can often feel overwhelming for birders, but these sounds offer an opportunity and a challenge. With our birding-by-ear series you can learn how to better ID birds through their vocalizations. 

Pt. 1: Start Listening for Songs and Calls
Pt. 2: Learn the Most Common Kinds of Sounds
Pt. 3: Connect Noises With Pictures That Stick
Pt. 4: Grow Familiar With Neighborhood Voices
Pt. 5: “Read” Sounds on Spectrograms
Pt. 6: Know If It's a Mimic or the Real Deal
Pt. 7: Learn Different Regional Accents
Pt. 8: Eavesdrop on Nature's Orchestra
A Few of Our Favorite Sounds
Adopt a Bird
American Bittern
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns
! Priority Bird
Varied Thrush
Thrushes
Red-tailed Hawk
Hawks and Eagles
Pied-billed Grebe
Grebes

More Birding Advice

Is That a Phoebe or Pewee Calling?
October 09, 2018 — Eastern Phoebes and Wood-Pewees are vocal birds. Here's how to tell them apart by their songs.
Podcast
Red-breasted Nuthatches Are Invading the Northeast This Fall
October 05, 2018 — Due to a likely food shortage in their Canadian range, the birds have started showing up throughout the U.S. in droves.
News
The Ins and Outs of Birding With the Dead
October 05, 2018 — Liven up your life list with a trip to a cemetery. After all, they weren't just built to house bones and graves.
News
Big-City Birding Is Hotter Than Ever
October 04, 2018 — The Urban Birder gives us the scoop on the budding movement and all the unlikely places you should be looking for birds in.
Books
17 Fabulous Fall Birding Events
October 03, 2018 — From watching hawks on the wing as they funnel south to attending action-packed birding festivals, avian activities abound in autumn.
Get Outside