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

What It's Like to Camp Out With 15,000 Sandhill Cranes
April 11, 2017 — An intrepid Audubon staffer beds down amid one of Earth's greatest migrations.
News
My Father's Life List
April 05, 2017 — What drives a man to count birds, to travel to 75 countries to count them, to spend a fortune counting them, and to keep counting them?
From the Archives
How to Hone Your Bird-Identification Skills on Twitter
April 04, 2017 — Start practicing with these helpful, weekly quizzes, which cover everything from corvids, to hawks, to birdy headdresses.
News
Learn to Tell a Cackling Goose From a Canada Goose
March 30, 2017 — Don’t let this ID cook your goose. Here are a few tips to help you solve the puzzle.
ID Tips
A Bird Worth the Chase, Even After Death
March 24, 2017 — Dan Koeppel had seen plenty of Mountain Quail—until it became the lone bird on his dad's North American life list. Then it became his nemesis, too.
Journal