Birds that mostly call

Decision table for identifying calls

Bird	Description	Audio
simple rhythmic
Long-tailed tit ■■	simple rhythmic slow high (7-9 KHz) . - contact call. Die fast ständig geäusserten, hohen Rufe verraten die kleinen, rastlosen Turner im Gezweig meist schon, bevor sie zu sehen sind. [Link] Call: Call: quite short, chirping, twittering "tzzirrret tzirrrret". Often starting at high pitch and rapidly falling, or just flat. Also a thin, slightly falling "zi zi ziii". [Link]	♫
one note
Common kingfisher ■■	one note slow high (5-7 KHz) . Call: Wikipedia says 'The common kingfisher has no song. The flight call is a short, sharp whistle chee repeated two or three times. Anxious birds emit a harsh, shrit-it-it and nestlings call for food with a churring noise.' The NABU app only has calls, which seems to confirm this. Therefore I'm classifying all recordings as calls, even though some say Song at Xeno-Canto. [Link] Most heard is the thin and penetrating contact call: A short "tzee", or disyllabic "tzee-tzu", with a ringing metallic quality. In excitement it is often alternated with ringing trills "tzeerrrrrrrrrr". [Link]	♫
swoop
Western yellow wagtail ■■	swoop one note slow high (3-9 KHz) . General: Single note repeated Song: sperling ähnliches lh lh lh. Dachte die wären melodisch?? Nein. BL chirpy ml ml [Link] Call: Contact call characteristic and widely used; a sharp, drawn out "pseeeoo" with an accented ending falling in pitch. A variable phrase with two or three notes resembling the contact call in timbre. [Link]	♫
simple rhythmic
Eurasian curlew ■■	simple rhythmic slow low (1-3 KHz) . - flight call. Das Männchen steigt mit einzelnen, klangvollen Rufen auf, die vor der Landung in einen weithin hörbaren Triller übergehen. [Link]	♫
one note
Black woodpecker ■■	one note slow low-high (1-8 KHz) . General: A loud unearthly call on a single unwavering note. Call: Drumming: Error loading Flash for sound! See sound file Flight call a characteristic resonant trill "krrreekrrreekrrreekrrree". A characteristic short, sharp and plaintive "keeaaa" with descending pitch often uttered when excited. A few slower drawn-out introductory calls before the phrase gets going is diagnostic. [Link]	♫
swoop
Eurasian green woodpecker ■■	swoop one note slow high (3-9 KHz) . Hysterical laughter. 7-8 loud urgent slightly falling notes, reminding me of George of the Jungle's dooky dooky bird for some reason. Call: Short "kek" calls when excited and in flight. Drumming of 1.5 seconds duration with decelerating tempo, but not often heard. Another call is similar to Black Woodpecker; a series of resonant "klit-klit-klit-klit-klit-klit", but is less clear, has a more determined start and has less obvious rising pitch at the end of each syllable. [Link]	♫
Great spotted woodpecker ■■	one note slow low-high (1-8 KHz) . General: A chirping (that I couldn't associate in my mind with a woodpecker), repeated at somewhat irregular intervals of about a second 2023: klang in bird-song.ch Quiz wie eine lauter Haussperling Call: Nabu: Der häufigste Ruf ist ein kurzes und spitzes „kix“. Ist ein Buntspecht aufgebracht, etwa durch einen Artgenossen, kann man ein schnelles Schnarren hören. [Link] Call: Typically it lasts 0.5 seconds, sometimes slightly longer. Contact call frequently hear throughout the year. A short hiccup "kek", sometimes in series. When excited this may escalate into a trill. [Link]	♫
irregularly rhythmic
Spotted flycatcher ■■	irregularly rhythmic one note slow high (4-7 KHz) . General: To me something between a one-note and an extremely simple melody, namely med-med chk-hi-med-med, with a very irregular speed, not at all like a metronome. Call: Most calls high pitched with a buzzing, "electric" timbre. [Link] Call: The discreet calls often goes unnoticed. Most calls high pitched with a buzzing, "electric" timbre. Alarm call a sharp, drawn "tzreeeee-check", with the second syllable abruptly clipping the sound. [Link]	♫
whoop
Common chaffinch ■■	whoop one note slow medium (3-5 KHz) . - rain call. General: Repeated ascending note, faster than the long starling whoops, about 2/seconds - compare with the black redstart. There are many different calls, the Marler book describes the 'chink' call as functioning as a mobbing and separation call. At XenoCanto I find calls described as "ping", "pik" (same thing?), "pchew", "duit", "huit", "ti-huit". Call: Der sogenannte Regenruf der Männchen, „schrrüt“, der selbst in benachbarten Ortsteilen deutlich variieren kann, erklingt nur während der Brutzeit. Als Regenruf wird er bezeichnet, weil er kurz vor oder sogar während des Regens zu hören ist, wenn die anderen Vögel verstummen. [DasHaus]	♫
Eurasian tree sparrow ■■	one note slow medium (1-5 KHz) . Rough sounding voice Call: Distinct, high-pitched and explosive contact-call; "che-witt" typically given in flight. Second syllable rising rapidly in pitch. [Link]	♫

Practice

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