How to Identify Birds by Sound

Learning how to identify birds by sound is a skill that most avid birdwatchers practice daily. The reason they learn the sounds of birds is that you’re going to have more luck finding them if you go by sound than sight. Birds are going to see you long before you see them. If you’re ready to find them, you’ll be more likely to get the view you desired.

• Use BirdGenie.com – Princeton University Press created this app to help you identify bird sounds and match them to the right bird. You can download this via the Apple Store or Google Play for Android. This app has also created a nationwide database of bird sounds and songs.
• Keep a Notebook – The best way to learn about the sounds birds make is to go online and listen to the sounds of the birds as they are identified. Then when you’re in the wild listening to birds, take notes of what you hear and how soon you see the birds after you hear the sounds. Note if you were right about the type of bird or not so that you can learn the sounds better.
• Use a Recorder – Now that technology is so powerful, you can record your own bird sounds that you hear in nature. Use the recording as if it’s a notebook, and when you identify the sound, save it and name the sound by the name of the bird. Remember that you need to describe the sound to yourself in your own words to help you with future identification.
• Use the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s Database – They offer a song identification guide so that you can start learning the sounds and songs of your favorite birds. When you listen, use your notebook to take notes so that you can describe the sounds in your own words.
• Try to Make the Sounds Yourself – Once you have identified a specific sound to a particular bird, not only should you write down a description and include it with a picture of the bird, you should also try to make the sound yourself. You may not be able to do it well but doing it is going to help you remember.
• Focus on the Details – Instead of trying to listen to the sounds a bird makes as a whole song, listen instead for distinct parts of the song. If there is any sound that repeats, that’s the sound you want to note and start listening for when trying to locate birds that make that sound.
• Break It Down – When you are trying to learn bird songs, remember to focus on the rhythm, pitch, tone, and repetition because that’s how you’re going to start learning how to recognize which bird is singing which song.

The main thing is to take your time and enjoy the process of learning. Listen to live bird sounds outside or through your computer using online databases, and take notes about what you discover about the sounds you hear. Given time and practice, you’ll become a pro at identifying birds by sound.