Sounds a Quail Makes

Sounds a Quail Makes

A PLS Lesson

Photo: Missouri Department of Conservation

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Photo: MTSOfan

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What is birdsong?

When we talk about birdsong, we are not referring to a single type of sound a bird makes but a complex series of notes that are, in a way, almost their own language. These songs are generally made by males to attract mates and to defend their territory. So how do birds make these amazing sounds? Red-winged blackbird male singing. Photo: Chris Smith Birds are able to produce these complex sounds because they have a special sound producing organ, or "voice box", called a syrinx. The syrinx has a paired structure that allows them to sing two different notes simultaneously and to quickly make broad changes in their pitch. The exact structure of this organ can vary between different species, which helps create the extreme diversity we can see in birdsong. Birds tend to have a large repertoire of both songs and calls, but what is the difference between the two? Continue on to the next page to find out.

Photo: Mick Thompson

Songs

Songs tend to be more complex than calls and have a clear pattern, structure and rhythm. Birds will usually repeat songs continuously with a single theme, but they may also have variations. Birdsong is mainly used in relation to mating behaviors, whether that means defending territory, attracting potential mates or bonding with mates and young. For this reason mainly the males of species will sing most often, but not all birds sing! You can generally tell if a species will sing or not by its breeding habitat. Photo: Paul CooperBirds that breed in low visibility areas (such as the dense forest pictured above) will usually sing since they cannot see each other as easily and because sound is a more reliable form of communication compared to visual cues. Photo: Nathan Gibbs Birds that breed in open, high-visibility areas (such as the small, rocky island pictured above) generally don't sing since they are able to see each other more easily. This allows them to rely more on calls and visual cues for communication.

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Calls

Calls tend to both shorter in length and simpler in structure than songs. Calls also tend to be made by both sexes in many species and are heard throughout the year, not just during the breeding season. Birds usually have a wide range of calls they use in specific situations to communicate with one another. Alarm or warning calls are used to warn each other of potential threats. These calls tend to be short and sharp (as you can see in the video below). They are often relatively quiet and high pitched so that an individual can warn others without the call carrying very far and alerting a predator of their location. Contact calls are used by birds to keep in touch with one another and can usually be heard while individuals are foraging for food (as you can hear in the recording below). These calls can get louder and more urgent, turning into "separation calls" if individuals cannot find one another. Flight calls are used by individuals to communicate back and forth while in flight. These calls tend to be highly musical and usually announce flocks as they pass overhead, as you can hear in this audio clip of Canada geese flying overhead. Photo credit: Herbling Begging calls are used by young birds as a "feed me" noise to get the parents' attention. These calls tend to have regularly repeated notes and be quite high pitched.

Photo: Andrej Chudý

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Northern Bobwhite Quail

Song

Covey Call

Assembly Call

Alarm Call

Contact Call

Photo: Aaron Maizlish

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Gambel's Quail

Mating Call

Alarm Call

Assembly Call

Photo: Nicholas Pederson

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Montezuma Quail

Song

Assembly Call

Distraction Call

Contact Call

Photo: Robin Agarwal

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Scaled Quail

Mating Call

Contact Calls

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Songs vs Calls

Gambel's Quail Sounds

Northern Bobwhite Quail Sounds

Montezuma Quail Sounds

Scaled Quail Sounds

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What is birdsong?

Want more quail? Check out these resources!

Funding for this lesson was provided through the Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative and the Upland Game Bird Stamp Fund, based on a collaborative effort between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

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Photo: belen bilgic schneider

What is birdsong?

Songs vs Calls

Northern Bobwhite Quail

Gambel's Quail

Montezuma Quail

Scaled Quail