Bird Song

Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos - Surely the avian world's best singer ©J Dietrich - Creative Commons
O thou summer’s harmony…

The links below are to sites specialising in bird song and sound. On some you will find extensive libraries of bird song from around the world, others are specialised or limited. As always, the fatbirder welcomes more links.

Undoubtedly one of the very best websites for birding songs and call is xeno-canto where you can check out almost all the bird species of the world, listen to song or view sonograms or even down load calls to use on line.

Some of the most beautiful birdsong anywhere! Everything from amateur recordings to the massive archives stored in the University libraries. Many of the sites have recordings protected by copyright. Downloading is not free and may well not be possible as lots are encrypted. Before you resent this remember that someone`s livelihood may depend on respecting their copyright. Non-commercial use may be granted for free by some… it costs nothing to ask.

Useful Reading
  • Beaks, Bones, and Bird Songs

    | (How the Struggle for Survival Has Shaped Birds and Their Behavior) | By Roger J Lederer | Timber Press | 2016 | Hardback | 280 pages, b/w photos, b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9781604696486 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Bird Song

    | (Biological Themes and Variations) | By Clive K Catchpole & Peter JB Slater | Cambridge University Press | 2018 | Edition 2 | Paperback | 335 pages, b/w illustrations, tables | ISBN: 9781108469227 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Bird Song

    | (Defined, Decoded, Described) | By Ernie Jardine & Don Cavin | Bird Song | 2011 | Paperback | 448 pages, b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9781926864020 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Birdsong by the Seasons

    | (A Year of Listening to Birds) | by Donald Kroodsma | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | 2009 Paperback | 366 pages, b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9780618753369 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Birdsong, Speech, and Language

    | (Exploring the Evolution of Mind and Brain) | Edited by Johan J Bolhuis(Editor), Martin Everaert & Robert C Berwick | MIT Press | 2016 | Paperback | 542 pages, 93 b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9780262528849 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Birdsong: A Natural History

    | By Don Stap | OUP | 2006 | Paperback | ISBN: 9780195309010 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Birdwatching With Your Eyes Closed

    | (An Introduction to Birdsong) | By Simon Barnes | Taschen | 2012 | Paperback | 272 pages | ISBN: 9781780720470 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Collins Bird Songs and Calls

    | By Geoff Sample | HarperCollins | 2010 | Edition 2 | Hardback | 128 pages, book: 3 Audio CDs | ISBN: 9780007339761 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Is Birdsong Music?

    | (Outback Encounters with an Australian Songbird) | By Hollis Taylor | Indiana University Press | 2017 | Paperback | 349 pages, 13 b/w photos and b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9780253026668 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Listening in the Field

    | (Recording and the Science of Birdsong) | By Joeri Bruyninckx | MIT Press | 2018 | Hardback | 242 pages, 4 plates with 5 colour photos and colour illustrations; 25 b/w photos and b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9780262037624 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Nature's Music

    | (The Science of Birdsong) | By Peter R Marler & Hans Slabbekoorn | Academic Press | 2004 | Hardback | 513 pages, colour plates, illustrations, lncludes 2 audio CDs | ISBN: 9780124730700 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Neuroscience of Birdsong

    | Edited by H Philip Zeigler & Peter R Marler | Cambridge University Press | 2012 | Paperback | 550 pages, b/w photos, b/w illustration, tables | ISBN: 9781107411579 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • RSPB Guide to Birdsong

    | By Adrian Thomas | Bloomsbury Publishing | 2019 | Paperback | 256 pages, 150 colour photos, b/w illustrations, includes audio CD | ISBN: 9781472955876 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • The Art of Pishing

    | (How to Attract Birds by Mimicking their Calls) | by Pete Dunne | Stackpole Books | 2006 | Paperback | 96 pages, b&w photos | ISBN: 9780811732956 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • The Physics of Birdsong

    | By Gabriel B Mindlin & Rodrigo Laje | Springer-Verlag | 2005 | Hardback | 167 pages, 40 illustrations | ISBN: 9783540253990 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • The Sound Approach to Birding

    | (A Guide to Understanding Bird Sound) | by Mark Constantine | The Sound Approach | 2006 | Hardback | 192 pages, colour photos, colour illustrations, includes 2 audio CDs | ISBN: 9789081093316 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Why Birds Sing

    | (One Man's Quest to Solve an Everyday Mystery) | By David Rothenberg | Allen Lane | 2012 | Paperback | 272 pages, Illustrations | ISBN: 9780141020013 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • World's Best Bird Songs

    | (The Songs and Calls of 70 Iconic Species) | By Hannu Jännes | New Holland Publishers | 2018 | Hardback | 96 pages, 100 colour photos | ISBN: 9781921517877 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Birding Aps
  • Apps for Bird Song

    Most Apps for bird song are listed on individual country and state pages etc.

  • Warblr: Identify UK bird songs

    Apple iOS |
    | WARBLR LTD | 24.2 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later | Requires Android 4.0 and up |

    Warblr is an app that automatically recognises birds by their song. The way in which it works is simple – make a recording with your iPhone, and Warblr will identify the species of bird/s that can be found in that recording, providing you with images and descriptions to help you learn more about our feathered friends.
Organisations
  • Nature Sound Map

    Website
    A group of professional nature recordists from around the globe have collaborated to develop Nature Soundmap, an enjoyable and interactive way of exploring the natural sounds of our planet. Combining high-quality field recordings with the latest satellite imagery, the project brings together some of nature
  • The Sound Approach

    Website
    This site contains information about who the Sound Approach are as well as what we are doing. Information can be found about our books already written, and exciting new books that will be coming out in 2007 and beyond can all be found here
Forums & Mailing Lists
  • naturerecordists

    Mailing List
    E-Mail group of individuals interested in recording natural sounds
Other Links
  • Avisoft-SASLab Pro

    Website
    Avisoft-SASLab Pro Bioacoustics Laboratory Software is a versatile sound analysis, editing, classification and synthesis tool. Accelerate your acoustic investigations by using the large variety of advanced sound analysis options. There is also a free Lite version that still provides many useful tools.
  • Bird Call Recordings - Asia

    Website
    Bird song from many parts of Asia
  • Bird Calls: Identifying and Interpreting Bird Behaviors

    Website
    Alderleaf Wilderness College - In this section of the online library you will discover a variety of articles relating to birds and how to identify and interpret their calls and behaviors
  • Bird Song Ear Training

    Website
    Several books and DVDs on the subject [US Birds]
  • Bird Song Identification

    Website
    Ernie Jardine's guide to the songs of over 200 birds of e. N. Am.. Songs (simple to more complex) are grouped by habitat and by those with similar sounding deliveries. My book "Bird Song Defined Decoded Described", has further detail and explanation
  • Bird Song Mnemonics

    Website
    From South Bay Birders
  • Bird Watching Electronic Listening Device

    Website
    Bird Watching Electronic Listening Device can capture distant sounds (and voices) that would otherwise not be heard with the help of our sophisticated Bird Watching Electronic Listening Device. Imagine standing in the end zone of a football field and being able to hear what someone is saying at the other end
  • Bird calls and songs

    Website
    The most familiar sound birds make is song, which is the often complex series of notes that birds make to establish territory and attract mates. Songs can be sub-divided into categories or functions such as flight, dawn, territorial, courtship etc
  • Bird-sounds

    Website
    Listen to the sounds of 602 North American bird species.
  • Borror Lab of Bioacoustics

    Website
    The Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics (BLB) is a unit within the Department of Zoology of The Ohio State University, and is housed in the College of Biological Sciences Museum of Biological Diversity. The BLB houses one of the largest collections of recorded animal sounds in the world. Founded by the late Dr. Donald Borror, Professor of Entomology and Zoology at The Ohio State University, the collection contains approximately 23,200 recordings of over 1000 species of animals.
  • British Birdsong

    Website
    ...contains birdsongs from 208 different species. The website is very easy to use and also works on tablets and smartphones...
  • British Library National Sound Archive

    Website
    The Wildlife Section at the British Library National Sound Archive (NSA) was established in 1969 as the British Library of Wildlife Sounds. Today it is the most comprehensive collection of its kind, with more than 100,000 recordings of all kinds of animals and their environments world-wide.
  • CD - Sam's Guides

    Website
    US Birdsong CDs
  • David Stewart's Nature Sounds

    Website
    Bird, Frog and Mammal calls encompassing the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Australia with detailed support information in the cover. Comprehensive coverage includes 5 frog species which are believed to be extinct.
  • Fuglelyder

    Website
    More than 300 mp3-compressed birdsongs…
  • Guide to Animal Sounds on the Net

    Website
    This is a link to one of the THREE pages devoted to links to websites about bird sounds.
  • Identiflyer

    Website
    Simply the best way to learn bird songs
  • National Sound Archive

    Website
    Go to the main [page and use their search box to find what you need
  • Nature Songs

    Website
    These pages provide samples of various natural sounds and photos, promote nature recording and archiving, and provide a library of sounds that people can refer to when they hear something new. Naturesongs.com also licenses its copyrighted sounds and supplies custom audio files to individuals and businesses for educational, sound effect, commercial and personal use
  • Nature Sound

    Website
    Bird, Frog and Mammal calls encompassing the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Australia with detailed support information in the cover. Comprehensive coverage includes 5 frog species which are believed to be extinct.
  • Nature Sound

    Website
    Digitally recorded Bird and Animal sounds
  • Neville Recording

    Website
    Since 1994, Neville Recording Productions has created 5 CDs celebrating hundreds of feathered vocalists: Birds of the Kootenays, Bird Songs of the Creston Valley, Bird Songs of the Okanagan, Songs and Sounds of the Canadian Rockies, Bird Songs of Canada`s West Coast.
  • Singing Bird Collection

    Website
    Tentang burung kicauan
  • Wildlife Acoustics

    Website
    Biologists working for universities and government agencies around the world choose Wildlife Acoustics equipment and software for passive acoustic monitoring of birds, frogs, bats, and other vocal wildlife populations
  • Wildsounds

    Website
    WildSounds is a leading international supplier of bird and wildlife sound guides on CD and cassette. Our extensive catalogue also includes gentle atmosphere recordings, videos, CD-ROMs and Field Recording Equipment. We have successfully launched a comprehensive natural history mail-order book shop. Order Online to take advantage of POSTFREE delivery in the UK and many discounted prices, even on new titles!
  • Xeno-canto

    Website
    Xeno-canto hosts over 1400 species from Colombia, Peru and Brazil, over 1300 from Ecuador, over 1200 from Bolivia and more than 1100 from Venezuela
Blogs
  • Bird Calls & Songs

    BLOG
    A blog about bird sounds using original recordings and sonagrams
  • EarthBirding

    BLOG
    Recording, Identifying, And Interpreting Bird Sound

Fatbirder - linking birders worldwide... Wildlife Travellers see our sister site: WAND

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