15 Birdsongs You Should Recognize in the Wild: Stories & Natural History | Britannica (2024)

The common blackbird is native to Europe and central Asia, but it was introduced to Australia in the 1850s. Only the males in this species are black; females have brown plumage. Most blackbirds grow to just under 10 inches (about 25 cm) long. They are generally monogamous, and females produce up to 24 eggs per year.

The wood thrush is migratory, breeding in the forests of the eastern United States and southern Canada and overwintering in Central America. Both sexes typically reach 8 inches (20 cm) long and have drab spotted plumage with a rusty-colored head. Although wood thrushes find new mates each year, they are serially monogamous (having one mate per season) and breed from mid-April to mid-May.

The yellow warbler, sometimes miscalled the wild canary, breeds across a wide area of North America and overwinters along the coasts of Mexico south to South America north of the Equator. Most adults are between about 4 and 7 inches (about 10 to 18 cm) long, and both sexes are bright yellow with streaks of red or rusty brown on the breast. Breeding pairs produce four or five eggs per year.

The breeding range of the common nightingale extends from Portugal and Spain east to western Mongolia and from northern Europe to Morocco and parts of Iran, where they prefer to make their nests in young trees in habitats with little or no undergrowth. They spend the winters in the tropical areas of northern Africa. Common nightingales have brown upperparts and white to pale buff underparts. Most grow to between 5.5 and 6.7 inches (14 to 17 cm) long, and males are slightly larger than females. Some studies note that older males can produce hundreds of song variations.

Although they are native to large parts of Eurasia and northern Africa, house sparrows thrive in southern Africa, Australia, and the Americas as well. The species is considered one of the most abundant and familiar birds in the world. Both sexes can reach up to 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length, and both have brown- and black-streaked upperparts and buffy brown underparts. However, breeding males also have a black bib. House sparrows can breed nearly year-round in warm regions, and each nest, which they construct of straw and feathers, can contain four to nine eggs.

Western meadowlarks are found over large parts of western and central North America. Although they breed in the northern United States and southern Canada, they also reside in southern states west of the Mississippi River, in northern Mexico, and on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The species is roughly the size of an American robin (Turdus migratorius)—that is, about 10 inches (25 cm) long. Males are brown, black, and buff with a striking yellow breast accented with a black V. Breeding pairs produce one or two clutches of five or six eggs per year.

Although European starlings are native to Eurasia, introduced populations also thrive across North America and in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina. These birds are about 8.5 inches (21.5 cm) in length. Their plumage is primarily black, with white- or buff-tipped upperparts and an iridescent sheen that colors feathers purple and green. Starlings nest in natural cavities or holes in trees or buildings. Female starlings typically lay four to six eggs in a clutch.

According to popular myth, these birds were first introduced to North America in 1890 by bird enthusiast Eugene Schieffelin, who allegedly released 60 starlings into New York City’s Central Park as part of an effort to populate the park with birds mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare.

Summer tanagers are found in the Americas, breeding in the southern and southwestern United States and northern Mexico and migrating to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern and western South America during the winter. These birds measure about 6.7 inches (17 cm) long. Adult males are orange-red with reddish wings, while females vary from washed-out yellow to orange. Summer tanagers are serially monogamous, and females lay a single clutch of three to four eggs per year.

Common loons are native to northern North America, southern Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard in Norway, and they overwinter along the coasts of North America and western Europe. They are large birds (adults can reach lengths of 27.5 to 35.4 inches [70 to 90 cm]) and are known for having a black head and bill, a striped black-and-white ring of feathers that encircles the neck, and a striking checkered pattern of black-and-white feathers on the back. Common loons are monogamous, and they build large nests into which breeding female loons deposit a single clutch of one to three eggs per year.

The Eurasian, or black-billed, magpie is a native resident across most of Eurasia. Its range extends from western Europe east to the Kamchatka Peninsula and China and south to Europe’s Mediterranean coast, the Middle East, and Pakistan. Adults typically measure 18 inches (45 cm) long, and the feathers of both sexes are black-and-white with iridescent blue-green wings and tail. Eurasian magpies eat insects, seeds, small vertebrates, the eggs and young of other birds, and fresh carrion. They make a large round nest of twigs cemented with mud.

With breeding grounds spread across the northern continental United States and southern Canada, the bobolink is found in grasslands and wetlands throughout much of North America, the West Indies, and northwestern South America. Migrating flocks may raid rice fields, and at one time the fat “ricebirds” were shot as a table delicacy. In the breeding season the 7-inch- (18-cm-) long male bobolink—named for his bubbling song—has a black underside, yellow hindneck, white back and rump, and white patches on the wings, while females are brown.

The geographic range of the northern mockingbird covers the whole of the continental United States and most of Mexico and the Greater Antilles. It is well known as a mimic. In fact, it has been known to imitate the songs of 20 or more bird species within 10 minutes. Adults may grow up to 10.5 inches (about 27 cm) in length, and they display gray feathers with darker wings and tail, both marked with white. The northern mockingbird is typically monogamous, and breeding pairs raise between two and four broods of roughly four young per year.

Also known as the island, or Atlantic, canary, this bird is native to the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean. It is generally yellow-bodied and dark-winged and can grow up to about 8 inches (20.3 cm) long. Domesticated versions of the species have been bred with several other finches to produce new varieties. The average lifespan of a caged canary is 10 to 15 years, though some have survived for more than 20.

The song sparrow’s range covers most of North America. It breeds in Canada and the northern border states of the U.S. and overwinters in the southern and central U.S. and northern Mexico. Adults typically grow up to 4.7 to 6.7 inches (12 to 17 cm) long. They have a gray- and brown-striped head, a white throat, streaked upperparts, and whitish underparts with brown-streaked sides and breast. They are typically monogamous, and breeding females produce a single clutch of three to five eggs per year.

Zebra finches are found throughout Australia and the Lesser Sunda Islands of the Indonesian archipelago. These birds typically grow to about 4 to 4.3 inches (10 to 11 cm) long.Males have black-and-white stripes on the tail and throat, orange patches on the cheeks, and a bright red beak, whereas females are generally gray with an orange beak. Zebra finches are monogamous, and they breed continuously throughout the year. Females lay four to six eggs per clutch.