People around the world celebrate the first Sunday in May as Dawn Chorus Day. It’s a day to set aside time to listen to nature’s sweetest symphony: birdsong. But you can and should enjoy the sweet melodies of birds any time of year. Listening to birdsong can reduce stress and promote health and well-being.
Birdwatchers can learn to identify birds with their eyes and ears. In most cases, you can hear a bird before you can see them. I’ll introduce you to how to listen for some of the most iconic songbirds of the Southeast. Using mnemonic devices can help you remember a bird’s unique pattern of sounds. But first, do you know what makes a songbird a songbird?
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What’s a songbird?
Songbirds are a unique suborder of birds called oscines. There are more than 4,000 birds in this suborder, but they have a couple of common traits. Songbirds are perching birds. They have distinctive toes that allow them to grasp branches. All birds have an organ that allows them to produce sound called a syrinx. But songbirds have exceptional control of the muscles around the syrinx. They can create specific tunes with every exhale. Songbirds learn their distinct songs usually from their parents and other adult birds. They can continue to add to their list of songs, while other birds have limited vocalizations. But not all songbirds sing. Experts believe that birds sing to defend their territory. They also sing or call to bond with or attract a mate.
Northern cardinal
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Cardinals are one of the most striking and recognizable birds of North America. They’re the official state bird of seven states including North Carolina and Virginia. Males are bright, crimson red. Females are a ruddy taupe with crimson highlights in the crest, wings, and tail. In very rare cases, a genetic mutation has led to a golden yellow cardinal. Northern cardinals have a dramatic crest that they can raise or lower and a thick, blood-orange beak. They also have black mask-like markings around the eyes and bill. They’re medium-sized birds between 8-9 inches in length (21-23 cm).
Male northern cardinals will sing all year long. Females will usually sing when on their nest. They sing a longer and more intricate tune than their male partners. Cardinal songs often last 2-5 seconds, but they can sing for 15 seconds or more. They sound like a loud string of whistles that speed up and end in a slow trill. It can sound like they’re saying “cheer-cheer-cheer”. Or sometimes it sounds like “tweet-tweet-cheer-cheer-cheer-joy-joy-joy”. Cardinals have more than a dozen calls. They’ll make a metallic chip sound when calling to their mate or to warn that predators are in the area.
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Listen to the northern cardinal’s songs and calls.
The cardinal’s natural habitat is open woodlands. But they’re often found in backyards, parks, and shrubby areas. Their main diet includes seeds, fruits, and the occasional insects. They love when I leave mealworms out for them, too. It’s very easy to attract these songbirds with a bird feeder. Otherwise, they usually forage for food on the ground. Cardinals get their red plumage from their diet. These feisty birds are very territorial and will chase other birds away. They’re also known to fight their own reflection, believing it to be a competing cardinal. Paired cardinals feed one another to deepen their bond, and they perform courtship dances, too.
Carolina wren
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Carolina wrens are very small in stature, but the sound they create is enormous. Their songs can reach a whopping 90-110 decibels. That means they can be as loud as a train or a jackhammer. Male and female Carolina wrens look similar. Their bodies are stout and round and their tails point up. They’re a warm cinnamon brown from their bill to their tail feathers with light and dark spots and stripes. Their beak is long, thin, and curved downward. This can make the Carolina wren look like they have a disapproving smirk. These wrens have a distinctive white stripe above their brown eyes. Their underside is a ruddy tan. They’re small birds between 4.5-5.5 inches in length (12-14 cm).
When a Carolina wren sings, they often lift their head and voice. They’re known for throwing their heads back and belting out a resounding bright song. Only males sing, and their song usually lasts only a couple of seconds. Some describe the sound as “teakettle-teakettle-teakettle”. But some people say it sounds like “cheeseburger-cheeseburger-cheeseburger”. And they’ll repeat this for up to 15 times in a row. When I first realized that big sound was coming out of that small bird, I became a lifelong fan.
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Listen to the Carolina wren’s songs and calls.
Carolina wrens live year round in the Eastern US. Their natural habitat is open woodlands. They prefer shrubby, wooded overgrown areas. But they’ll visit your backyard if food or suet is available, especially in the winter. I see them regularly on my deck, foraging in and around my planters. Carolina wrens mostly eat spiders and insects, but they’ll also eat lizards, frogs, or snakes. They forage on or near the ground hopping through leaf litter and vegetation. Once paired, these charming birds mate for life.
Eastern towhee
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Eastern towhees are strikingly beautiful sparrows with a distinctive song. Males have a black cape that covers their head, chest, wings, and tail. Whereas females have a russet brown cape. Both have tawny feathers under their wings and white underbellies. They have a thick black beak. Depending on the region, some have dark red or white eyes. They’re small to medium-sized and measure between 6.5-8 inches in length (17-21 cm).
Eastern towhees are very vocal, and their song is one of the easiest to identify. Males sing a song that sounds like “drink-your-tea-ee-ee-ee-ee”. The first note is sharp and sometimes doubled and the final notes end in a repetitive trill. Both males and females will call to one another. This helps them stay in contact or alert each other of danger. Their two-part calls vary from region to region. But they usually sound like “tow-hee” or “che-wink”.
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Listen to the Eastern towhee’s songs and calls.
Eastern towhees live year round in the Southeastern US, but they’ll migrate north to breed. Their range overlaps with their cousins, the spotted towhee, in the Great Plains. Sometimes these two distinct species will interbreed. They prefer thick shrub-covered habitats in forest edges or woodlands. They nest and forage for food on the ground. They’re known to scratch with both their feet to turn over leaves in a back and forth hop. Then they’ll eat anything edible that they uncover. They’re omnivores and will eat seeds, fruits, insects, spiders, flower buds, and more. I only see them at my bird feeder in the winter. But I hear them almost every day year round.
Tufted titmouse
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The tufted titmouse is one of my favorite birds of all time. They’re the epitome of cute with soft, mouse-like features. Male and female titmice look similar. They’re mostly gray on their crest , wings, and tail. Tufted titmice have a white face and underside with a splash of rust beneath their wings. With a patch of black above their black beaks. Their eyes are big, black, and endearing. They’re on the small side at about 5-6.5 inches in length (14-16 cm).
Tufted titmouse males do most of the singing, but females will sometimes sing a softer version. Their songs are a clear whistle that sounds like “peter-peter” or “peter-peter-peter”. They will repeat this up to 11 times a minute. My favorite thing about them is their calls. They can sound like a robot going haywire with a short burst of whistles at the end. It sounds like “see-see-see-day-day”. Maybe they’re telling us to seize the day!
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Listen to the tufted titmouse’s songs and calls.
These songbirds live year round in the Eastern US. They inhabit deciduous woods or mixed woods with a thick canopy. But they’re also common in parks, gardens, and suburban areas. They forage in tree foliage, but it’s very easy to attract these songbirds with a bird feeder. They love black sunflower seeds. I’ve seen them fly off with whole peanuts in the shell. The tufted titmouse is a little acrobat. They’ll often swoop in and hang upside down or sideways when looking for food. Once they have a seed, they’ll hold it between their feet and hammer it open. I usually see them foraging in pairs. Double the cuteness!
Carolina chickadee
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Carolina chickadees look very similar to their cousin, the black-capped chickadee. They’re small, adorable songbirds with a rounded head, short neck, and stout body. The top of their head and throat is black. These chickadees have bright, white cheeks. Their back and wings are a mottled gray. This distinguishes them from the black-capped variety that has more white in their wings. They have a short, rounded, black bill and dark eyes. Their underside has a sepia hue that fades into white on their belly. Male and female Carolina chickadees look similar. They’re very small and average 3.9-4.7 inches in length (10-12 cm).
Carolina chickadees sing more than 35 different songs. Their most characteristic tune sounds like “fee-bee-fee-bay”. The “fee” is very high-pitched. The following note is in a lower register. Their distinct call sounds like “chickadee-dee-dee”. Chickadees can also sound like a robot going haywire with lots of chatter and shrill whistles.
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Listen to the Carolina chickadees’s songs and calls.
Carolina chickadees live primarily in the Eastern US. This makes them unique from black-capped Chickadees that are found in the Northern US and parts of Canada. They have some range overlap in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Their preferred habitat includes forests, woodlands, and swamps. But you can also find them in urban and suburban areas, parks, and in your own backyard. Chickadees’ diet includes insects and spiders most of the year. But they will visit backyard bird feeders. They’re also acrobatic foragers like their cousin, the tufted titmouse. You can find them hanging upside down, sideways, and diagonally to find food.
In Conclusion
Backyard bird watching is a great way to relax and enjoy nature. It can remind you that you’re part of an entire ecosystem that needs to be cared for. I hope this guide helps you identify the birds in your own backyard. If not by sight, then by sound. If you love songbirds as much as I do, then you know how important it is that we protect their habitats. When we protect forests, we’re also protecting the sweet songbirds that depend on them.
Visit our Act Now Page to learn what you can do to protect the forests and communities of the South.
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