birdcalls

Tweets from branches

Birdcalls are the sounds birds make to communicate—songs, chirps, whistles, and cries.

The term also refers to human imitations of these sounds, whether vocal or produced with small devices used by hunters to attract game or by birdwatchers to draw species into view: He could identify dozens of birdcalls by ear.

She used a birdcall to lure the ducks closer.

sounds

chirp

Short, high avian sound

caw · hoot · squawk · screech · peep · chatter · croak · coo · quack · cluck

signals

alarm

Urgent warning signal

contact · warning · courtship · dawn chorus · duet · assembly · mobbing · flock · identification · aggression

mimicry

mockingbird

Sound-copying songbird

mimic · myna · catbird · starling · bowerbird · impersonation · echo · copycat · repertoire · mimicking

birding

identification

Establishing who someone is

ornithology · binoculars · birdsong · listening · spectrogram · Merlin · spotting · Audubon · habitat · wetlands

devices

whistle

Shrill air-blown sounder

  • decoyFalse target for misdirection
  • lureThing that tempts
  • huntingPursuing wild game

reed · diaphragm · locator · attractant

Opposites
sound source/animal type

birdcallscricket chirps

Insect leg-friction sounds

wolf howls · whale song · cricket chirping · dog barking

natural vs. artificial sound

birdcallscar horns

Vehicle warning signals

urban noise · engine roar · sirens

silence vs. sound

birdcallssilence

Total lack of sound

dead silence · soundlessness · stillness · quiet · hush

Family

birdcall

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G